


Birthright

by CyrexWingblade



Series: Birthright Follow-Up [1]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: AU, Alternate Conclusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 84,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27433978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyrexWingblade/pseuds/CyrexWingblade
Summary: Since Slade's return, Raven has changed despite her best efforts to hide it. Is she destined to destroy the world? When a stranger helps the Teen Titans fend off an army of robots, has she met a new friend, or another Malchior?
Relationships: Raven/OC
Series: Birthright Follow-Up [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009878
Comments: 7
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue: Meditation

**Author's Note:**

> This story is an alternative conclusion to the Trigon arc of Season 4. This cuts in just before the episode 'Prophecy.'

A low, soft, naturally rasped voice repeated a strange phrase with deliberate, careful tempo over and over, focusing mind, body, and soul into the rhythm, seeking harmony and balance. Such a young mind seeking such balance was a rare thing, but for her it was a way of life. The heroine known only as Raven floated in nothingness as far as she was concerned, wholly disciplined along her spoken words, looking inward. _Azarath metrion zinthos… Azarath metrion zinthos…_

In the physical world, she still floated, but in a more mundane location. In her dark chamber lined with books, dramatic masks, a lone dresser nestled amid some shelves, and plenty of open space, she remained on (just above) her bed. It was spacious, round, with dark sheets and a shading overhang rather like her own hood, which, at the moment, was laying limply down her back while she meditated. With a view of the ocean through the windows behind her bed, Raven remained calm, her pale, almost gray façade peaceful, her soft features placid. Her dark purple hair framed her face as always, like a pair of wings folded down along her jaw-line, short in the back, past her chin at the front.

The dark blue cloak she always wore fell thickly down past her crossed, bare legs, crumpling a bit on the bed. Clasped on the left side of her collar by a gold-wreathed, dark red stone, the loose hood created a large collar around her subtle neck. Her actual clothing was surprisingly simple, little more than a near-black, dark blue body suit with no legs, small gauntlets with smaller, matching jewels to her cloak-clasp on the backs of her hands, a belt of them sagging to the right side of her waist, and simple shoes of the same dark blue as her cloak.

Her peaceful expression altered abruptly, her purple eyebrows starting to crease as she moaned faintly. A strange character blazed to life with crimson light on her forehead, her hair starting to ripple away from her face. Her open hands revealed two more, one for each palm. She winced, gasped at last, and fell onto her bed with a soft crumple of material and a mild ‘oof’. Her lavender eyes flew open as she rubbed her forehead gingerly. Her expression calmed as she pulled the hand down, looking at the mark still glowing in her palm. Sorrow crept into her controlled emotions, and her eyes and fist closed. The marks gently vanished, and she opened her eyes to reality once more. The marks were gone…

Raven sat back up, holding her face in her hands as she crossed her legs again. _I won’t… I won’t let this happen… I can’t…_ She let her hands down, tears dripping down her gray cheeks as she stared into a dismal vision of the future inside her mind. The world ruined, her friends frozen as stone, and her father looming over it all as her spectral ravens prowled the skies. Her destiny, her fate, to end the world.

She bowed her head limply, hands clasped in her lap. _If we couldn’t stop Slade… how can I stop this from happening?_ She looked up with watery eyes to the ceiling. … _How?_ Her clasp cut off her desire for an answer as it beeped the Teen Titan ‘trouble’ alert. Her brow creased, and she pulled her hood up, rushing off her bed and floating out of her room.

Flowing into the control-center of Titan Tower, her overshadowed eyes watched her friends hurry in to join Robin at the main console near the view-screen in the center of the living room. Robin glanced back to them, his black spiky hair, eye-mask, and red, green, and yellow costume bright and clear as ever, his black and yellow cape loose down his back. “Trouble, team.” He touched a control and the view-screen blinked on to show the rest.

Cyborg let his gray and two-toned blue arms down as his eyes widened, his human-half face clearly surprised. “Whoa, where’d they come from?”

The screen showed humanoid, skeletal robots marching down one of the main city avenues in loose formation. Robin shook his head. “Unknown, but we can’t let them just walk around messing up traffic.”

“Dude,” Beast Boy called as Robin turned from the screen, his black and purple suit holding to his body tightly no matter his form, his green face marked with dismal shock as his hands pulled down on his sharpened ears, “I think they’re doing a little more than ‘messing up traffic’.”

Robin glanced back, and saw one of the robots lift a car off the street and throw it out of its way. “Oh great. Titans, go!”

He dashed out, Cyborg and Beast Boy running after him. Starfire swirled up in her pink and silver uniform, her long red hair coiling around her shoulders, and shot after them, her jade eyes glowing. Raven lingered, her brow creasing. _Where_ did _they come from?_ Without further pause, she turned, and shot after her comrades, cloak rippling.


	2. Stranger...

Walking calmly down the sidewalk was a very strangely dressed boy. He had a long wooden staff in his left hand, which thumped the cement with each step, and he was clothed in a pale brown cloak with a hood over his head, and white and light-brown clothing, all baggy, bound at the waist and ankles, above his simple, brown sandals. He got more than a few curious looks as he walked along, but only stopped when he came near a TV store with the local news on the various sets in the window. He turned his visible, pale chin toward the screens, showing the small army of robots marching down the avenue. The boy turned, looking up the road behind him, and just saw the first few cresting a hill in the road. “Here…?” he asked no one in sincere surprise. “Unexpected… Ah well-!” he started to move toward the robots, but stopped, his head tilting back as if to look up.

Robin dropped into a low, leg-spread stance, twirling his extendable staff out and along his back. “Hold it right there, tin-men!” he called to the machines, in front of which he’d just landed.

Cyborg crashed to his haunches on the boy wonder’s right, Beast Boy fluttered down as a bird and rushed into his normal form, and Starfire flew down, swooping up to float above the three. Raven rose out of the ground from a swirl of darkness, floating upright off to the left, slightly apart from the others.

The red-optics of the robots flashed as the Titans dropped into view, and they started to charge, sharp hands glistening as they were held ready, legs pumping like pistons.

“Let’s do it!” Cyborg shouted, his right forearm shifting into his sonic cannon. He took aim and blasted the closet robot in half as Robin shot ahead and Beast Boy leapt into a large gorilla, crashing down onto the closest group on the left.

Starfire rose up, snapping her arms toward the robots rapidly, spheres of green power flying free from her fists and blowing many of the machines to pieces, melting through others and leaving glowing-hot holes. While Robin battered and broke robots with his staff, leaping and flitting through the formation, Raven flowed back, her hands rising out of her cloak as light blazed out of her hidden eyes. “Azarath metrion _zinthos_!” Black wisps coiled off her hands, and two of the robots in the midst of their formation turned black, and shot to either side, ripping several apart in each direction before exploding against corner stores themselves.

Robin snapped his staff down to the right, cleaving a robot in half, and then looked up the street to take stock. “Something’s wrong.” He leapt back to Cyborg, Beast Boy flipping out of a velociraptor form and landing near them both. “More keep coming, but from where?”

Starfire let her eyes blast a valley through the robots, but, indeed, there seemed to be hundreds were there were once only a few dozen. Raven flowed up beside the boys on the ground. “Look there, at the manhole.”

They focused through the marching robots, and saw a manhole, cover off, letting more crawl out by the second.

“You mean they’re under _neath us_!?” Cyborg yelled, lifting his robotic feet as if grossed out by stepping in goo. “Aw man, that just ain’t right.” He looked up at the approaching, visible, force, and raised his sonic cannon. “Well fine. Eat _THIS_!”

His cannon fired, but the sonic beam erupted with power, flaring into a ten-meter wide cone and ripping down the road like a tornado, vaporizing most of the force present. He blinked, everyone reeling back from him in blank, spinny-eyed surprise. Cyborg lowered his arm and looked down at the emitter barrel. “I charged a good shot, but not _that_ good…”

Raven suddenly looked down. “The ground! Dodge!” She floated back rapidly, Starfire leaping into flight.

Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy leapt away from each other, the center of the road collapsing beneath them as more robots started to crawl out. Raven raised her hands. “Azara-ugh!” she grunted as one of the robots grabbed her from behind, arms wrapped around her waist, pinning her own. Her eyes flared with power, about to free herself, when the robot suddenly squealed and she felt herself free. She almost fell over from the sudden release, and looked back… seeing only a pair of sparking arms and nothing remaining of the robot’s body. “What the…?”

She looked up and sent a crescent wave into a group of other robots, cutting them apart.

Starfire gave a building shout, and let her eyes blaze, jerking forward in mid-air as they unleashed raking beams of power. Dozens of robots were bisected in a ripping rush, falling apart with glowing, melted metal from the power of the attack. “Mean robots stop attacking now, please!”

Three more blew up as Robin dropped into their midst, his staff twirling along his back as he let his hand down from throwing three blasting discs. “It’s no good. We wipe out whole battalions but there are always more coming!”

They all stopped when the entire block shook. It wasn’t violent, but it was obvious, and they looked around themselves as the robots on the street looked down at their feet for some reason.

A figure leapt out of the crater in the road, and dropped into a stance just ahead of the Titans, his pale brown cloak falling down behind his legs, his right wound beneath his body, his left extended to the side, and his wooden staff held with his right arm out to the side, one end along his back, his left hand forward and open. “Actually you’re making fine progress, I just had to deal with the group in the sewers,” he listed off casually, in good humor, his voice mature and smooth. His hood was down, exposing his somewhat long, light brown hair as they saw him from behind.

“Who are you?” Robin demanded the obvious, wary of the newcomer.

“I do apologize, but I’m the one these things are after. I’m a bit surprised they chased me all the way across three continents, but here we are. I was about to step in when you five arrived, so allow me to clean up.”

Everyone but Raven blinked, staring at the young man’s back in muted surprise. Raven, however, pulled her hood down and eyed the boy warily. _It was him…_

When the boy broke his stance, even Raven’s eyebrows started to rise at the result. He shot off like a dark bolt, his staff blurring out and shattering robots through their middles, decapitating them, shattering limbs to dust, clipping legs off at the knees. The boy himself moved like lightning, flipping, rolling, and coiling, his body flickering out of the paths of numerous attacks at once, hair flowing in the wake of his movements as his pale lips smiled with calm confidence. When half the remaining force was in pieces on the street, he drew to a stop in the center, facing the remaining few dozen, and stood straight, one end of his staff to the ground. He smiled faintly, and started to tap his staff off the cement.

Beast Boy blinked again. “What’s he doin’ now?”

Robin shook his head. “I don’t know…”

Raven just grew more grave.

Cyborg touched his ear. “Whoa, wait a second… _He’s_ doing that?”

The others focused on their cybernetic friend. “Doing what?” Starfire asked meekly.

“Listen!”

As they looked back to the stranger, it was suddenly obvious. The dull tapping of his staff was almost deafeningly loud, and the robots weren’t making any noise at all. Abruptly, their optics flashed, though they continued to make no noise whatsoever, not even their footfalls as they dashed at him in one mad, glistening rush. The boy twirled his staff up over his head, the street going utterly silent, and jammed the end down with his left hand posed stiffly, three fingers vertical. A shock-wave of distortion ripped out from his front, rushing down the street. It passed around cars and other normal items, but absolutely obliterated the robots in a single attack. It faded as the last one flew apart, and the boy let his staff relax in his grip, letting his other arm down. He pulled his hood up over his head, hiding most of his face, and turned around as the Teen Titans came up to meet him.

The newcomer smiled calmly. “Sorry for the trouble. I didn’t think they hated me that much.”

“Why were they after you?” Robin asked, sincerely curious, but also suspicious of the stranger.

The young man exhaled wearily. “I gave their designer a rough time over treating a local village like so much dirt. I never thought he would follow me so far from his headquarters, but those robots have a limited control range, so he must be in this city now.”

Cyborg stomped to the fore. “Look, that’s all cool, I just wanna know how the heck you _did_ all that!?” he exclaimed, gesturing up the street.

The boy took a glance there himself, as if he didn’t realize what the Titan meant, and then jerked, suddenly realizing. “Oh! Sorry. I can control and amplify sound. I assisted your cannon-blast before.”

Cyborg blanched with the others except Raven. Starfire pointed. “You have that much power at your command?”

It was clear the boy was getting uncomfortable. “Uh… well… I try not to make a point out of it…”

Raven looked at him directly. “You should have dealt with this problem in your own home, not dragged it back here.”

The boy focused on her, but didn’t respond for a fraction of a second longer than natural. “…You’re quite right, but I was causing trouble for them as well. I thought by leaving I would help solve the problem. I was wrong. I intend to make sure Dr. Gear is turned into the proper authorities this time. The village didn’t really… have any.” He gave a bow. “My sincerest apologies. I must be on my way. I need to tend to this very matter.”

Robin stepped ahead again, a hand out. “Wait a second. Dr. Gear is a threat to our city now, too. My friends were just being careful, we’ve had a few nasty surprises from people who appeared to help us.” Beast Boy’s expression slackened, but he didn’t try to correct Robin. “We should work together.”

The boy paused, frowning thoughtfully. “I would never turn down help, nor refuse to offer it if I can, but are you sure your friends are… willing?” he poignantly asked, seeming to specify Raven and Cyborg without a clear gesture.

Cyborg opened his mouth, was slack for a second, and then grinned. “Aw fine. Sounds good to me. Maybe you could help me figure out a good way to enhance my cannon?” he asked, raising and transforming the arm again.

The boy tipped his hood. “I’ll be happy to do what I can, though I’m not an engineer, my good man.”

Cyborg smirked at the boy specifying ‘man’. “Yeah, you’re alright, kid.”

Then the stranger focused on Raven. “Though I sense you’re not so quick to trust a stranger, madam?”

Raven unclenched her fists, mentally rolling her eyes. _Of course… he could sense the sounds of my muscles._ “No, I’m not. We know only what you say about these robots. I’m glad you helped destroy them, but I have no reason to assume you’re not a bigger problem in disguise yet.”

He smiled calmly, seemingly un-offended. Robin looked to Raven sternly. “Raven! You don’t need to be that harsh. He just helped us out.”

Starfire nodded, floating near the team leader. “Indeed. The newcomer seems very polite and agreeable.”

Before Raven could respond, her expression a match for Robin’s tone, the staff-toting boy replied in a civil, warm voice. “Please, I don’t want to cause trouble for a well-organized team. I’ve given you no real reason to trust me, as the young lady has pointed out clearly. I’ll continue on my own investigation. For what it’s worth, if we run into each other again, I promise my assistance. Good day,” he finished with a bow, and turned to leave.

Raven looked at his back, her expression serious but thoughtful more than wary. She looked to Robin’s somewhat impatiently curious eyes, and exhaled, nodding. “Alright, I agree… But it doesn’t mean I trust him yet.”

The boy paused, and turned again, Robin smiling. “Please. You can stay at the tower with us, tell us more about this Dr. Gear guy.”

Smiling quite sincerely, and with a surprisingly gentle manner as well, the boy nodded. “Thank you very much. I appreciate it.” He gave Raven a specific look with his hood as well. She just flecked her eyebrows and pulled her own hood back up.

The boy came up to the group, and Cyborg offered his hand. “I’m Cyborg, nice to meet ya.”

Taking the metal hand, the stranger shook it. “A pleasure. I’m Rith.” He reached up and pulled his hood off, and the group paused with muted surprised, not wanting to offend him. His eyes were shut, but not just closed, they were sealed with scar tissue.

“You’re blind…” Robin confirmed in soft surprise. Raven herself considered Rith with careful curiosity.

Rith just smiled, shaking Robin’s hand. “Robin, correct? Yes, it happened almost right after I was born. I don’t really miss them that much, though. I ‘see’ just fine,” he finished with a casual, calm smile and a gesture to one ear.

“You know who we are?” Robin replied, grinning.

“Of course,” Rith answered with a grin of his own. “The Teen Titans are known world-wide. I only know your reputations, however. Beast Boy?” he asked, offering his hand to the shortest member of the team.

The green-skinned boy smiled broadly, his sharpened teeth showing, and shook Rith’s hand. “Nice to meet ya, Rith.”

“Likewise. Lady Starfire?” Rith continued with a gentle raise of his eyebrows, focusing his closed eyes up at her own as she floated a bit off the ground.

She giggled at the title and took his hand. “Please, Rith, just call me Starfire. I hope we can be good friends!”

“As do I!” he exclaimed in matching humor. Then he came to Raven, and simply bowed, but did so quite low. “My lady. It is an honor, but I would not presume on your cordial reception. How shall we handle this?” he asked sincerely, his head tilting a bit.

Raven raised an eyebrow, conscious of the others watching. She offered her hand at length. “No reason not to get off on a good start, right?”

He smiled, but instead of just shaking her hand, he gently clasped her fingers and kissed the back of her knuckles. Raven blushed, more from surprise than hidden pleasure, and the giggles of the others, which they rapidly stifled under her withering, eye-glowing gaze. Rith came upright. “I greatly appreciate your show of trust, madam.”

Raven looked at him directly, into his eyes without distraction from his scars. “I’ll be honest then. Hurt my friends, and I will make you wish you’d never been born.” The others face-vaulted and turned pale.

Rith simply smiled again, and bowed. “A warning I will take most seriously, Raven.” He turned his face to the whole team. “I imagine you would like to learn about Dr. Gear as soon as possible?”

Robin nodded, Raven floating back, re-raising her hood. “Yes, please. Come with us.”

The boy started to walk forward, joining Cyborg and Robin in walking while Beast Boy turned into a bird and flew with Starfire and Raven, everyone heading back to Titan Tower.

* * *

The Teen Titans and Rith sat at the round-table opposite the small kitchen in the command center of Titan Tower. Rith had just explained everything he knew of Dr. Gear, sitting near one of the open sides of the booth, his staff propped up against the seat on his left. Robin leaned back, arms crossed, pensive. “So he designed these highly advanced robots, and then just used them bully the village?”

Rith nodded. “Originally, it seemed he was going to use them to mine ore and actually give away cheap materials to the poorer villages in the area, but I think the idea of having an army at his beckon call went to his head. It’s why I didn’t want to do much permanent harm to him, I thought it might just take a good lesson to knock him back onto the straight and narrow. Apparently, I was mistaken.”

Cyborg tapped a finger off his chin with a soft clicking sound. “They were well-designed, but the mass-production must have forced him to use cheaper parts, they blew up easily enough. Just a problem because there were so many of the darn things.”

“You left your home rather easily,” Raven pointed out in a serious voice, sitting opposite Rith, in the other open end of the booth. Her arms were crossed, but her gaze was fixed on the guest.

Rith smiled at her. “It wasn’t my home. I was just passing through, actually. I stayed for a few weeks when I saw the problem, yes.”

Starfire looked at him sympathetically. “Then where is your home?”

“For me, home isn’t really a location. I’ve been a wanderer most of my life.” He shrugged. “Not a problem for me.” His expression turned formal as he looked to the table as a whole. “He’ll want to replenish his army, so we should check for thefts of raw materials in the city. Can we do that from the tower here?”

“No problem, my man,” Cyborg casually answered, lounging back. “I could scan for that with my eyes closed. Nothing hit yet tonight, though.”

Rith sighed with a faint smile. “I must confess, I’m relieved. Handling more of those things today isn’t very appealing, I’m a bit tired.”

Beast Boy sunk in his seat. “No kidding, dude. They wore me out.”

Raven’s brow creased. _Maybe that’s what they were for…_

Rith focused on the purple-haired girl with an amused smile. “You think I had those robots attack you to weaken you all, soften you up for me, Raven?”

She was annoyed at his shrewd comment, making her expression more stern. “It’s possible, after all.”

He bowed his head. “Indeed it is. I like sleeping outside, so why don’t you lock me on the roof?”

Everyone except the two conversing were a bit freaked out by the odd conversation, leaning away from them both. Raven rose up from her seat. “I may have suspicions, but I don’t punish people unless I know they’ve done something wrong.” She looked to the others as she pulled her hood up. “I’m going to meditate before going to bed. Good night.”

They all waved and wished her well, Rith bowing his head to her. She paused, and then just repeated, “Night,” before vanishing through the doors to the personal quarters’ hall, not bothering to let them open for her.

Beast Boy watched her leave, and then looked to Rith. “You sure seem to deal with her attitude well. I have a hard time not getting angry with her sometimes, and she’s really giving you the third degree.”

Rith just smiled, standing and taking his staff. “Trust hard to earn, is trust worth earning. She’s also fulfilling a very valuable role. With her remaining suspicious, the rest of you can try the road of friendship, and as a team, you’re covered. I’m not saying she does so for that reason, but I think it’s a very effective method, and I respect her position. If I may, I would like to go to the roof?”

Cyborg shrugged. “Stairs at the end of the hall, Rith. Knock yourself out.”

When the blind boy was gone, the doors hissing shut in his wake, the remaining four Titans shared a curious look. Starfire smiled. “He seems very pleasant, and perhaps Raven will come to trust him soon as well?”

Robin’s brow creased, his arms still crossed. “Honestly, that’s what worries me. He’s a very smooth operator, Star. I have a hard time believing his as young as he looks, either. He’s right, if Raven wasn’t watching him as closely as she is, I would be.”

Cyborg knocked Beast Boy on the head with a knuckle.

“Ow! What was that for?”

Cyborg smirked. “Maybe next time you won’t get so annoyed with Raven for playing bad cop for us.”

Beast Boy shrugged, and flipped out of the booth, onto his feet toward the kitchen. “If I thought she was just playing a role, I’d be totally cool with her. Don’t get me wrong, okay? Raven’s a friend, I’d fight for her and I know she would for me, but you all know she’s just too harsh sometimes. Am I wrong?”

Robin sighed as he got out of the booth himself. “If I had to deal with her problems, I’d be pretty sour, too, Beast Boy.” He looked down as he remembered Slade’s return, catching Raven as she fell, her hair long, her costume torn to pieces. He hadn’t been able to help her at all, and she’d been a little sadder ever since. She hid it well, but he knew that day, her birthday… had hurt. “I think Rith sees that, actually… If he’s a good guy.”

Starfire giggled. “Did you not see him kiss her hand? I had thought such wonderful things only happened in your Earth fairy tales! He is very kind to her in the ways he can be.”

Cyborg raised his human eyebrow. “Yeah, you’re right. He really gives her his full attention whenever he can.” He grinned. “I think he’s gotta crush on our little Ray!” He turned chibi with Starfire, both clasping their hands together and grinning together with gleeful red on their cheeks. Robin and Beast Boy just sweatdropped.

On the roof, Rith sat, cross-legged near the edge facing the ocean, the sun setting. He could feel the warmth on his skin, but couldn’t perceive it. Heat and light only mildly distorted sound, but he could feel everything else. He relaxed with a soft exhale, letting sound sculpt the world around him anew each heart-beat. The birds flying across the water, the crashing waves on the coast, the hum of Titan Tower’s power, the myriad sounds from the city, and soft rush of the wind. His hair and clothing rolled gently as he breathed easily.

His eyebrows slackened a bit from his bliss as he thought on Raven, the shape of her face forming in his mind, forged from sound, gray within black void. _She has so much weighing on her heart… There is more than treachery in her past._ His expression turned deeply empathetic. _Such a pure heart should not be so burdened…_

The sun vanished, and he felt the air cool as the moon rose. In a haze of meditation, he fell asleep where he sat, the wind singing him to the land of dreams.


	3. Suspicions

She woke abruptly, gasping as her dark eyes flared in panic. Flames engulfed her, she floated in the inferno. She saw ruined cities, seas of magma, her friends turned to stone. Tears steamed off her cheeks, and she looked down at her hands. Wreathed in flame, on her palms the characters etched into life once more. Her eyes wavered, she tried to moan _No…_ but her lips barely moved. And then Slade burst out of the flames, his mask almost touching her burning skin. She could smell his spicy, unnaturally hot breath. “What you have concealed you will become!”

Horror scattered across her face just before she screamed. “ _Nooo_!”

Raven snapped awake, her hair flaring as cold sweat ran down her temples. She fell onto her bed, floating just above it with her dream. Sitting bolt upright, she rubbed her arms to warm them, her eyes closed, her breath shivering. “No… no…” she whispered painfully, and gradually calmed.

After a few moments, she looked at her open palms, and watched the marks fade out of sight. Letting the fingers close over their wake, she let her arms down, and tilted her head back with closed eyes. _I just need to calm down. Being panicked won’t help anyone or solve this problem… We couldn’t stop him, no one could have…_

Then she stopped, a bit puzzled as she gently sniffed. _Food… At this hour?_ She looked to her clock. It was barely past dawn. Curious, she hopped off her bed, and walked down the hall, her hair swaying gently with her stride. She almost jumped, calming herself with a breath, as Cyborg popped his half-drowsy face out of his own room as she walked past. “…I smell food…” he mumbled. Then a particular sent reached his nostrils and he perked up, chibi and grinning. “Waffles!” He shot past Raven, leaving her to settle her hair down with a dark expression.

As the dark Titan moved to the living room, she watched Starfire, Robin, and Beast Boy start to come out of their rooms in various stages of dress or pajamas. Robin seemed quite awake, but no less confused. When they reached the living room, the doors sliding open in the center of the front wall, they all stopped short, even Raven blinking.

Cyborg was sitting at the counter, drooling, over a small feast of various foods and drinks. Waffles, pancakes, toast, eggs, tofu in various configurations, hot chocolate, steaming tea, and even a few dishes that looked exactly like some of Starfire’s more… unique left-overs.

And standing behind the counter, washing dishes in the sink, was Rith, a faint smile on his face. He looked up with raised eyebrows to the group lingering in the doorway after setting the bowl he was cleaning down in the strainer. “I didn’t mean to waste your food, but I thought a nice breakfast for everyone might be pleasant. I have some money, so I think I can buy enough to make up for it later. Though I… don’t really know how to find many of these dishes,” he admitted with a meek smile and blush, scratching the back of his head as he gestured at Starfire’s ‘food’.

Beast Boy and Starfire went star-eyed, salivating, and streaked to the counter. Beast Boy was already shoveling tofu dishes into his mouth, Cyborg dominating the waffles with massive chomps and pouring the syrup into his open mouth, while Starfire grabbed Rith’s hands and hovered up and down so rapidly his hair and cloak were blowing back with the wind she created. “What a lovely beginning to the day! You are a wonderful, wonderful new friend!”

Rith was quite sincerely blushing, ‘looking’ at Starfire with overwhelmed shock. “A-ah… That’s very kind of you to say… Madam… Would you like to sit and eat?” he managed at last, gesturing to another stool on the other side of the counter.

She zipped into the stool and started devouring her special foods. She hit a green jello with white spores inside it with glee. “You have even warmed it to the proper temperature!”

Rith just scratched the back of his head again. “…Just room temperature…”

Robin smiled as he walked down more orderly, and Raven floated over and down to join them herself.

“This is really nice of you, Rith, but you didn’t have to go to all this trouble…” Robin pointed out, sitting down and pulling himself a plate of eggs and toast.

The blind boy smiled calmly. “It’s nice to get a pleasant surprise sometimes. Don’t worry… I don’t have the money to make a habit out of it!” he added with a light smile and self-deprecating laugh.

Raven passively scanned the food, and sensed nothing ‘added’ to it that could cause a problem, and she found her gaze wandering to the steaming cup of tea just waiting for her at the edge of the counter. Her eyes flitted up to Rith for a heart-beat, and then back to the cup. A bit disappointed with her self-control, she took the cup and sipped it quietly. Her shoulders eased a bit. _Just right… very soothing…_

Rith poured himself a cup of the very same tea, and sipped it as the others ate. Starfire paused. “You do not wish to partake of the feast, friend?” Her adorably inquisitive and concerned expression made Rith smile gently, though his ‘eyes’ were aiming down at the counter.

“I ate earlier, lady Starfire, but I appreciate the concern.”

Robin finished off one of his eggs. “This is all really good, Rith, thanks. Yesterday, you showed some real skill with that staff of yours,” the item was propped up against the far counter behind Rith at the moment. “I was wondering if you’d like to spar with me later?”

Rith shrugged. “Sure, if you wish.”

Beast Boy grinned. “And you gotta play me in our racing game!”

Raven’s brow creased, and she looked up to see Rith amused and intrigued. “I would love to Beast Boy, but considering I can’t see the game itself, I doubt you’ll find me much challenge.”

Beast Boy blanched. “O-oh… right… I’m way sorry dude…”

“I take it as a compliment you don’t find me handicapped. I’m sorry I can’t play with you,” the blind young man said quite sincerely with a tip of his head.

Raven set her tea down. “You can only see the TV itself, and the speakers, with your senses, correct?”

Rith’s expression became a bit more peaceful, his smile softening. “Quite correct, Raven. And the sounds of the game just aren’t real enough for me to guess what’s going on.”

His kind expression gave Raven a flash of Malchior, the dragon she’d freed from a book thinking it was the hero from the battle it depicted trapped inside. She looked down, suppressing her emotions. “Just checking.”

Robin watched the interaction, and saw Rith shift a bit, concern in his expression before he kept his face toward the counter. He’d sensed Raven’s changed demeanor just as fast as Robin.

Raven drained her cup, and moved to the sink to place it there. “Thank you for the tea, Rith. I’m going to go meditate.” She pulled her hood up as she walked out, floating the last bit before the doors closed in her wake.

Beast Boy swallowed and frowned at the doors. “Sheesh… She could at least hang out for a little while in the morning, couldn’t she?”

Rith just smiled. “Meditation is a lovely practice. I wouldn’t deny it to her. She seems to have enjoyed the tea, and I’m glad I could bring her that.”

Beast Boy pointed at him. “Dude… you’re like so nice it’s _scary_ …”

The blind young man eased back, a bit perplexed. “…I am?”

Cyborg chuckled. “Well I think he’s got a point, Rith. I respect Raven, she’s got her own stuff to deal with, but if I was getting the cold shoulder you are, I wouldn’t exactly be smiling.”

Rith shrugged. “I don’t want her to feel forced to trust me. I would feel quite guilty if that ever happened.” He turned his face to Robin. “I’ll clean up after breakfast, then would you like to spar?”

Robin perked up. “Sure, Rith, but you don’t need to do all the dishes, _too_.”

“It helps me think, and I like to think,” Rith replied with a mild grin, amused at himself.

Robin chuckled, and Starfire zipped around the counter as she finished. “You are a most kind new friend, Rith!” And she grabbed him in a crushing hug.

Rith twitched, his back making several loud pops, and forced a tight smile. “Glad I could… be of… service…”

Starfire giggled, letting go, and he crashed into the floor, making everyone sweatdrop.

Rith sprang back up, smiling. “Go relax, I’ll wash up.”

* * *

Using Robin’s personal sparring room, a little smaller than the massive training room the whole team used on occasion, Rith faced the boy wonder across a spacious, yellow mat. Robin had his progressive staff in hand, the blind boy standing straight, his wooden weapon held with one end to the ground. Robin smiled a bit, always enjoying a good match, and shot in. Rith flicked his staff up, blocking a strike on his left and right, then ducked a cross-swipe, neatly stepping out on Robin’s left. Robin stabbed with his staff as he landed from his hop with the swipe, and Rith yanked his left shoulder back, letting the weapon just miss as he back-peddled smoothly.

Robin landed again, and started to pace around to his left, facing Rith. _He’s totally calm and in control._ “You going to play defense the whole time, or do you want to show me what you’ve got?”

Rith chuckled. “As you wish, Robin.” He hefted his staff, and ran in. Robin laughed, whipping his staff down, but Rith blocked it by snapping his own across his back, then kick-flipping away from Robin, swiping the wooden staff off his back to keep Robin on the defensive. The cape-clad boy had to almost fold in half backward to avoid getting a nice blow to the side of his head.

Landing, Rith was forced to dodge several precise sweeps of Robin’s metal staff, weaving his head through them as his hair and clothing dragged. Finally, he blocked a blow to his right flank, and twisted to deliver a kick into Robin’s. The boy wonder leapt away, twisting around wide to bring his staff in for another blow on the other side. Shoving the wooden staff with both hands, Rith blocked once again, and leapt off the ground as Robin lunged with his own. Pressing one wooden butt to the ground, Rith pressed his feet to the ceiling, and Robin paused, his eyes widening with his mask.

“Nice, but it has a weakness!” and he slammed his staff into the side of Rith’s with a powerful wrench of his arms, grinning.

Rith simply collapsed as his staff flew out to the side, but Robin looked up to see the blind boy’s palm rushing at his head. Robin leapt back, the blow just shy of his face.

At that moment, outside the room, Raven was just walking around the threshold, just returning from the roof and her meditation. She looked inside, and paused, curious to see how Rith handled himself with her friend.

Robin recovered with a barrage of sweeps and stabs, and Rith wove and dodged them as well as ever at first, but finally one tripped him, yanking his left foot forward from behind. Robin chuckled, twisted in, and shoved down on Rith’s chest. The blind boy crashed to his back, chuckling as well. “Well played, Robin,” he conceded, raising his hand.

Robin took it, and helped him up. Rith hefted his staff, and nodded to Robin. “You’re very good.”

In truth, the masked hero was curious, because he caught the faint hesitation in Rith’s movements that let him trip him. “So are you,” he chose to respond, half-smiling.

Rith tipped his head, and they both looked to the exit, where Raven stood, leaning against one side with crossed arms. She raised an eyebrow. “Enjoying yourselves?”

Her masked friend smiled. “I think so.”

Rith gave a gentle nod. “A welcome bit of practice between friends.” He glanced to Robin, “If I may presume the term?”

Robin waved the issue down. “Relax, it’s fine.” He started for the door himself. “I think I’ll go patrol for a while. Take care, you two.”

After he brushed past Raven, she focused on Rith as the blind boy came to the opening himself. “Why did you let him floor you?” she challenged directly.

Rith’s expression slackened. “I should have realized you’d catch that. I think Robin did.” He sighed, letting his shoulders sag. “I wasn’t sure which would be worse. Making you think I was practicing beating up your friend, or faking a loss and appearing like I’m testing him.”

Raven raised her eyebrow again. “You’re putting an awful lot of work into getting me to trust you. You’re not helping yourself.”

“To do otherwise would be insincere, and then you really couldn’t trust me,” he replied, mildly helpless. “No games next time. I’ll just let it flow as it will.”

“That would be smart,” she agreed with a nod, and turned, starting to walk off.

“Was your meditation restful?”

Raven stopped, staring ahead blankly.

“…My apologies for intruding on a personal matter then. I won’t repeat it.” Rith moved out of the sparring chamber behind her, but turned and walked down the opposite direction, heading for the roof himself.

She turned, her cloak rippling a bit. “Where are you going?”

“To the roof, to meditate. I may be ignorant enough to ask you about yourself, but I knew walking in on your meditation would frustrate you,” he shrugged, and his voice followed in mild amusement, “Follow me and check, if you like.”

Her expression softened with weariness as she bowed her head. _I really am giving him a hard time… even I think so, which says something…_

“I’d much rather you not trust me than cause that disappointment on your face.”

She looked up, focusing on his back curiously. He’d stopped, and his head was turned to ‘look’ over his right shoulder. She replied, “You didn’t cause it.”

“Not directly, perhaps. I would never make you feel guilty for protecting your friends, Raven. If you must never trust me for you to feel secure in that, then may you never trust me. Please only trust that I wish for your happiness.” He bowed his head as he stood, and walked on into the shadows of the hall. Naturally, he didn’t need to turn on the lights to get around.

She stood in the darkened hall, soft surprise on her face. His words touched something in her heart, realizing he really sympathized with her… She firmed her expression and closed her eyes. _It could just be another act. Don’t make the same mistake twice! And if he is a good person, don’t drag him into your problems…_ She turned, and made herself walk calmly back to her room. Maybe reading would help get her mind off of things.

* * *

That afternoon, most of the Titans were out or in different places in the tower, and Rith had gone shopping to make up for all the food he’d used for breakfast. Raven took the opportunity to float in front of the living room’s main window, legs crossed, hands posed on her knees, eyes closed, repeating her focusing mantra. In her mind, she was alone in space, no sound to disturb her, no planet to defend, no tower around her. Just herself and nothingness, the chance to examine and control her emotions. She smoothed out her agitation over Rith’s arrival, calmed her annoyed feelings with Beast Boy for some of the jokes he cracked at lunch. Her suspicions of Rith, who had not joined them for lunch, choosing to meditate on the roof further instead, were quickly quelled for the sake of her greater balance. They were worldly matters, things that didn’t matter in that moment, in the nothingness.

She moaned faintly, her brow creasing ever so subtly. Wisps of flame burnt her mind’s eye, and she started to feel suffocated. _No… calm down… I must not let fear take control._ It eased, but then her hands stung, she could _feel_ the marks on her palms. _No… No, Raven… Focus…_ She didn’t even notice the door opening behind her, but there was no sound to disturb from it.

“A-azarath metrion… zinthos,” her rhythm broke faintly, her fingers shaking. Her throat was parched, she could smell smoke. _I must maintain control…_ Fear was rising, twisting in her stomach. Not just of the message this time, but of exposure. She’d been so stupid to meditate out in the living room like this. If someone stumbled in on her and she lost control… _Enough!_

She dropped her legs down and stood up, firm irritation etched into her features as she turned around and started for the doors. Looking up, she froze solid, her eyes widened, a gasp dying in her throat.

Rith was in the kitchen area, the lights still off in the living room (she’d turned them off for her meditations), and was storing food from bags on the counter. As she watched, she realized nothing he did made any sound. He was completely silent, impossibly silent.

“How long have you been there!?” she blurted out, and then clamped a hand over her mouth.

He twisted, seeming surprised to hear her voice. A can dropped from his hand, clattering loudly on the counter-top. “R-Raven? I apologize, did I not silence myself enough?”

Her deep embarrassment flared. “I don’t care how quiet you were! You said you wouldn’t interrupt my meditation! What are you doing right now!?”

Rith started to speak, but slowed his throat, and didn’t utter a word. He just closed his mouth and bowed his head. “I’m very sorry, Raven. I wasn’t thinking…”

But she felt awful. She’d been meditating in the main room, and he’d obviously made himself deaf to her until she called out to him. Her expression melted with guilt. “N-no, I’m sorry, Rith. I shouldn’t have… been here. Sorry… I…” she shook her head, and hurried to the doors.

His face watched the doors shut in the darkened room, his expression gravely sympathetic. _She’s feeling the weight… whatever it is._ He turned, picking up the can he dropped. “Idiot,” he muttered, and sourly shoved it into the fridge.

* * *

After dinner, when most of the team had already gone to bed, Beast Boy walked into the living room to get some late-night gaming in, but found Rith, standing at the window, looking out over the water. The blind boy turned. “Sorry, Beast Boy. You want to play your game?”

The shape-shifter smiled a bit, walking up himself. “Yeah, but it’s cool. I can play whenever. What are you doing?”

Rith flashed a smile. “Thinking.”

Beast Boy smiled back and looked out himself. “If you were Raven, you would’ve said ‘you should try it some time’ at the end there.”

The other boy chuckled a bit. “She’d miss you if you weren’t around, Beast Boy. I think more than she realizes now.”

The morpher smiled more calmly, looking down. “Yeah, I know. She’s been nice to me some times… when it really mattered. How much do you know about us, anyway?”

Rith shook his head, frowning. “Not much at all. You’re famous heroes, but other than some of the larger villains you’ve put away or stopped, I know little.”

“Well… we used to have a sixth member of our team. Terra. She and I were great friends, but… Slade got to her at some point. You know him?”

“I know of him, yes,” Rith answered gravely, following Beast Boy’s serious tone.

“Well… he… he convinced her she was a bad-guy, and she turned on us for a while. She was hard to fight… for a lot of reasons,” he looked off to the side. “But in the end, she came back to her senses… in time to take Slade down for us. She… turned to stone as a result. We’ve been looking for a way to reverse the effect, but…”

A hand rested on Beast Boy’s shoulder, and he looked up into Rith’s scarred eyes. “You will speak to her again, Beast Boy. Never lose hope.”

The green boy smiled. “Thanks, Rith. It’s good to hear that from someone outside the team… you know, just because…”

“Exactly,” Rith agreed with a simple nod.

Beast Boy turned serious again. “There’s a problem, though.”

The blind boy raised an eyebrow.

“Slade… somehow he came back. And I mean big time. He had all these crazy powers, and he was after Raven this time.”

Rith’s attention was obviously acute, his expression tightened.

Beast Boy continued, not really noticing the particular effect it had, “It was Raven’s birthday, and, you know her, she was being really sour about it. I figured she was just one of those girls, right?” He shook his head, scratching it nervously. “Apparently something was supposed to happen that day. Something bad, she wouldn’t say anything else, and she only told Robin, really. It looks like it happened, and it had something to do with Slade.” He looked up to the guest in the Tower. “We haven’t seen Slade since, and Raven’s a bit… a little more creepy than usual since that day. She hides it well, even cracks a few jokes like she used to, but…”

“I didn’t know what, but it’s clear something is effecting her deeply,” Rith explained his knowledge calmly, nodding to the green boy’s trailing voice.

Beast Boy sighed, looking down again. “I feel bad for her, Rith, but I can never cheer her up. Especially not now. I mean… after that Malchior thing we were actually doing pretty well-!” He froze, clamping his hands over his mouth. “Oh no… she’ll kill me now!”

Rith would have blinked, his eyebrows rising. “…Raven? Why?”

“I mentioned that name… Oh man… Me and my big mouth!” Beast Boy was sincerely angry with himself, his body tensing as he ground his teeth.

It was going to be difficult to get the boy to explain more, and Rith questioned the justification for persisting. He raised his hand, and touched the other boy’s shoulder again, calming him. “I never heard a word,” he said with knowing humor.

Beast Boy looked up, and was obviously relieved. “Thanks, Rith. Please, I’m beggin’ ya, don’t let that name slip around her. She’ll know it was me.”

Rith frowned. “What name?”

Beast Boy was about to respond, but stopped and laughed. “Right, thanks.”

The blind boy just nodded, and started to walk away. He paused, looking to Beast Boy. “If you want to cheer her up a bit, don’t expect much, and give her something you know she likes. If I gave it, she would be suspicious, but if you give her a gift, it’s a kindness from a trusted friend.”

The shape-shifter shrugged helplessly. “But I don’t know what she likes other than spooky stuff and old books.”

Rith smiled, walking off. “Then find her an old book or something spooky. Just don’t tell her you think that about them.” He left the morphing boy blinking, never sensing the pleased, scheming look on Beast Boy’s face after a few moments.

* * *

In the dead of night, the tower was dark, silent, and undisturbed. At least it was supposed to be. Deep in the basement, a large vault glistened faintly in the gloom, and a dark figure crept silently toward it. A sharp _shink_ rang out, and two arcs of light appeared briefly. The massive hinges of the huge door cleaved apart, and it fell down on its front with a loud bang. The figure stopped, looking around, and nodded to himself. Looking into the vault, a gray, complex, chambered belt lay waiting, a red X marked on the buckle.

The lights came on, and Red X jerked, twisting around. His black body-suit, skull-mask, and tattered cape were all there, but he, of course, lacked the xenothium power-core belt that really gave him his tricks.

And standing at the entrance was Rith, his staff touching the light switch as he smiled faintly. “The massive bang not withstanding, you breathe so loud I could hear you from the roof.”

Red X took on a tensed stance, but spoke with an amused tone to his filtered voice. “Not bad, kid. So who are you? A new Titan?”

“Just a guest. An _invited_ one,” he affirmed, continuing the mild humor as he brought his staff down, touching one end to the floor.

“Then I guess you’re not going to let me take this belt, right?”

Rith nodded.

“Sorry, kid, but I don’t pick fights with blind people.”

The blind boy smiled cordially. “Excellent. Then you’ll leave and I’ll try to fix the vault.”

“I didn’t come all this way just to give up now, Chuckles.” Red X twisted, and reached for the belt, but his hand bounced off a distortion, and he jerked his mask toward the boy. “What the-!?”

“You’re not getting the belt. How you leave is up to you.”

“You picked the wrong hombre to mess with, kid. Let’s do this.”

X-blades popped off his fists, and he shot at Rith as they spun like saws. Rith flitted out of the paths of his swipes and jabs, and finally sent his staff out, but Red X was just as good. They flitted, blocked, struck, flipped, and coiled around each other, rounding the center of the room with their fight. Red X caught the staff with his blades, and the two faced-off over their shivering arms.

“You’re pretty tough… for a blind guy… kid…”

“You’re more than… just a trickster… yourself…”

Red X chuckled a bit. “I’ll have to finish this another day. I think I’ll make this interesting though!” He leapt back, two black balls in his fingers as he shot X-stars into the walls.

Rith braced, and sensed the balls drop just as Red X leapt for the ceiling. He was about to counter the thief’s attempt, when the balls detonated with deafening tones. Sonic grenades. Rith grabbed his ears, his perceptions echoing and tearing at his skull as he fell to the ground with his staff, the alarms finally going off from a combination of Red X’s stars and the two explosions.

Chiding himself mentally for not realizing what the grenades were, Rith slowly picked himself up, gripping his staff. His ears were ringing, but he could still perceive quite a bit. _…Wait… all his blades, even the blast scorches… It’s like he was never here._ He looked to the broken safe. _…Uh oh…_ The belt was still there, but he realized another problem.

Dark power coiled around Rith, and slammed him against the wall with a grunt. A mechanical shift revealed Cyborg, leaping down and aiming at Rith’s face, Raven floating with blazing eyes, Robin, Beast Boy, who looked quite shocked, and Starfire rushing in. Robin skidded to a halt, seeing the belt still in its place. “What’s going on? What happened!?” he demanded of Rith, who was held to the wall in a cocoon of darkness except for his head.

Rith winced, feeling the dark set to Raven’s expression inside her hood as she floated near the entrance. “Someone was trying to steal that belt. I heard him and came to stop him. I didn’t have time to wake you.”

Cyborg held his cannon at Rith’s face. “The alarms just went off. Where’d he go?” His voice was cool and flat.

Rith’s eyebrows rose sorrowfully, his head bowing. “I know what this looks like, but I swear it wasn’t me. It was some boy in a body suit, a skull-mask, and he used x-shaped weapons.”

Raven squeezed a little, her voice harsh with anger. “You could know about him from anywhere and made this whole story up.”

The blind boy was uncomfortable, but not in pain yet. “Is there no evidence of a struggle here?”

Robin looked at the wall thoughtfully. “I see blade marks… like Red X’s shurikens. We knew he’d come for the belt again at some point, if not just get another one himself.”

Raven shook her head. “I’m not buying it that easily.”

Rith sighed. “She’s right, too. I could have made those marks.”

Everyone looked at him. Robin raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“Give a location. I don’t want to alarm Raven into crushing me like a sponge.”

Raven’s anger was wavering, but her reason wouldn’t let her release him just yet. The circumstances were very suspicious… however tired and weary he looked.

Robin pointed to a blank wall-space near the other marks. “Make it exact.”

Rith’s brow creased, and a soft crack sounded. Robin looked, and nodded. “Perfect match… So you’re saying you didn’t do it, but you can’t prove that?”

The blind boy just nodded. He raised his head just enough to focus on Raven, and she turned awkward. He looked so sad.

_Well this is it… No proof, they can’t take a security risk like this. Ah… Things were just starting to relax, too._

Cyborg let his arm down, the cannon deactivating. Robin came up, tipping his head to Raven. Rith looked up with some surprise as he was, rather gently, set on his feet. Cyborg smiled awkwardly. “Sorry about that, man. Gotta be careful!”

Rith raised his eyebrows. “Wait… you believe me?”

Starfire flew to him and hugged him again, his body cracking and popping in many bad ways, but he smiled after she let go. “Of course. You are our new friend. I’m very sorry we attacked you…” she added quite sincerely, drooping where she floated.

Rith shook his head. “I can’t blame you for being cautious. Thank you very much… but… Would you prefer I left the tower? I’m a bit of an undue risk now.”

Raven turned away from them all, but spoke calmly. “I can tell you’re not lying… Sorry if I hurt you.”

The others watched, this time even Beast Boy seeing Rith’s softened expression in response to her voice. “…You didn’t, thank you. Your control was very precise.”

Privately, her eyes softened. _If only it was precise enough…_ She physically nodded, and left.

Cyborg stomped over to the vault itself. “Just great… I’ll fix this up, but at the rate he goes through vaults, this isn’t going to hold too well.”

Robin joined him, starting to discuss ideas. Beast Boy watched Rith pick up his staff, and pause, holding a hand to his temple gently as a pained look came over his face. The morphing Titan came up to him. “Hey, Rith, are you okay?”

He smiled back. “Sonic grenades. I’ll be fine, just a headache. Thank you, Beast Boy.” Rith tipped his head, and started off. “What would you guys like for breakfast?”

Beast Boy grinned. “Tofu!”

“Eggs and bacon!” Cyborg called back, grinning and giving a thumbs up. Starfire and Robin showed agreement.

“Tofu for Beast Boy, eggs and bacon for the rest coming up,” the blind young man called back lightly, moving up through the tower.


	4. True Friends

Later that morning, Beast Boy peeked around a bookshelf in a store, rather comically ‘disguised’ in a coat and big hat. Several ‘goths’ were blinking at him, rather surprised to see a normally dressed person looking through one of the occult sections of the book store. His ears perked up as he overheard a couple of them talking, a guy and girl.

“Shouldn’t this be in philosophy?” the girl asked, setting a small, thick, black book on the shelf.

The boy shrugged. “I dunno. I think they put it here because it’s about witches, you know?”

They moved off, and Beast Boy creeped over, as if sneaking through a high-security lair, and swiped the book off the shelf, looking at it in his gloved hands. Written in gold letters, the book was titled ‘Memoirs of Great Witches’. His expression turned thoughtful, and he flipped it open, reading a bit of the first page he saw. _Just a bunch of witches talking about life, huh? Would she like it?_ he asked, shutting the book quietly. _Looks spooky enough for her, alright…_ His eyes focused down the black and gold spine. Finally, he shrugged. _I can’t find any better._

Hurrying up to the counter, he grinned, setting the book down for the cashier. She blinked at him, and rung it up. “Here you go, sir.”

“Thanks!” he squeaked, zipping out of the story with bag in-hand.

Back at the tower, Robin was lounging on the couch, watching TV. There weren’t any alerts, and he was a bit tired, so relaxing seemed like a good idea. Hearing someone enter, he looked back, and saw Rith walking down the steps at the back of the room. “Oh, hey Rith. What’s up?”

“Fetching some tea,” the boy answered easily, moving to the kitchen.

Robin shut off the TV, and walked over to join him. “I wanted to ask you something. May I?”

Rith looked up, his eyebrows rising. “Certainly.” His hands were pulling out tea-bags and pouring hot-water as he faced Robin, and the boy wonder realized Rith’s lack of eyes actually let him function better than he would have normally.

Noting the idea, Robin smiled. “Do you intend to keep traveling after we deal with Dr. Gear?”

At this, Rith fully paused. “…I intended to, yes. You have a well organized team here, and I wouldn’t want to disrupt it any more than I already will before Dr. Gear is dealt with.”

“Well I’m not sure where they all stand on the idea, but I wanted to bring it up with you first. Would you accept it if an offer were made for you to stay on? Become a Teen Titan?”

Rith’s shock was clear. “…Become a Titan?” He became awkward. “I’m honored by the idea, Robin, but… wait and decide to offer that after you see more of what I can do. If I cause more disruption than help, it may be best for me to leave.”

Robin tipped his head. “Fair enough, I’ll keep that in mind. Do the same, please?”

“…Most assuredly,” the blind boy finally managed with a bow.

The leader of the Titans smiled again, and moved into the kitchen to get himself a drink as Rith started to work on the tea again. Rith tilted his head, listening for something, and then ‘glanced’ back to Robin. “…May I ask you about something? If you consider it prying, I won’t pursue it.”

Curious to learn more about Rith through questions as well as anything else, Robin eased back with his drink. “Sure. Shoot.”

“I wished to know if you could tell me anything about Raven and a dragon named Malchior?” He felt Robin’s expression flatten instantly. “I apologize. I won’t bring it up again.”

Robin shook his head. “No, it’s alright, I’m just not sure how you found out about that.”

“It was accidental.”

The gadget-wielding young man chuckled a bit. “Oh, of course… Honestly, that’s something Raven should tell you about herself.”

Rith tipped his head. “Of course…”

“…You’re very interested in Raven.”

The blind boy’s hands slipped, almost spilling the hot water he was using. “Well she is a mysterious young woman. I imagine you are all quite curious about her. I simply don’t know her well enough to quell my curiosity yet.”

“Since I didn’t answer your question, I won’t push the issue, but you’re not fooling me.”

Rith’s brow creased, his back to Robin. “Fooling you?”

Robin chuckled again. “We can all tell you like her.”

At last, Rith smiled a bit. “It’s that obvious, hm?”

“You change around her. As soon as she walks into the room, you get quiet, and she’s usually under your full attention.” Robin sipped his drink.

The cloak-attired boy took a sip of his tea at last. “I underestimated you, Robin. I hadn’t thought you were watching me so closely as that.”

“It’s my job to keep track of things, especially when they might affect my friends.”

Rith nodded, and sipped his tea again, holding it with both hands. Pleased with the warmth, he set it down, and turned around to let Robin look at his face. “I simply wish for her happiness. I don’t assume it includes my presence in her life.”

“That’s why I like you,” Robin agreed with a sincere grin. “You not so different from Raven yourself. Well disciplined, calm, but you’re more comfortable in your own skin.”

Rith flicked his eyebrows as if shrugging. “I never had reason to doubt my nature. For Raven, that is a rarely attained gift.”

The black-haired boy became serious. “You’re right… She’s afraid she’ll hurt the people she cares about, just being who she is.”

Rith pulled his cup from behind himself, sipped it, and held it low. “Because she thinks in terms of ‘what’ she is. Sadly, I sense she feels little from other perspectives, despite your best efforts. I mean all of you,” he emphasized with a subtle nod.

Robin sighed faintly, remembering Slade’s return. _We didn’t do much to fix that problem…_ They’d all just been batted aside. Slade found her, and whatever she’d feared of that day had happened.

The alarm sounded, and the room flashed red. Robin shot away from the kitchen, leaping over the couch, and landed touching the controls on the main console at the far side of the room. Rith joined him as the screen switched on. Starfire flew in, Cyborg charging after her, and Beast Boy hopped out of another door… a hat still on his head. Raven floated in, hood up, and watched.

Robin watched the view with the others. A metal works was being assaulted by a large, humanoid robot, at least two stories tall, bulky, mostly silver, with glowing red wires visible in the joints. It looked vaguely like Cinderblock. Rith tensed at the sounds. “A robot?”

The leader nodded, and twisted around. “Alright, Titans. Let’s stop that thief and track down his boss!”

“Yeah, baby!” Cyborg yelled, charging out of the room with Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven in tow. Robin hurried off, Rith running in his wake, staff raised.

“How large was the machine?” Rith asked quickly.

Robin realized the boy couldn’t see anything on the screen. “Tall, building height, and bulky.”

“With visible wires?”

“Yep.”

“Dr. Gear alright.”

* * *

Red optics glistened sharply as the silver behemoth pried open a hangar inside the massive warehouse, bars of metal pouring out. Workers were still fleeing the building as it started to grab fist-fulls of metal in its claws. Aside from the overall bulk of its mass, the robot was sharp and sleek, with a predatory slant to its design. A full jaw of sharp teeth waited beneath the red eyes.

“Caught with your hand in the candy jar!”

The robot whirled around, dropping the metal, and found the Teen Titans posed at the entrance, Robin at the front with his staff behind him, Cyborg, cannon ready, Beast Boy braced for action, and Starfire and Raven floating behind them, energy glowing in their eyes. With them was Rith, his staff held at his side.

The robot remained still for a moment as a filtered voice boomed from its closed mouth. “Ah, Rith. Shacked up with the locals again, I see. A better group this time,” the snide, older voice mocked.

“Mock me as you wish, Doctor, but offending my hosts is just rude.”

The robot spread its legs. “Oh dear. How _ever_ will I make amends!” the doctor’s voice shouted as plates opened all over the machine’s body, missiles bursting out and spiraling at the Titans.

“Titans, go!” Robin yelled, and leapt into the fray, somersaulting as blast-discs flew out of his hands, staff gone.

Cyborg charged, blasting away, Beast Boy rushing into a small bird and flitting through the barrage. Starfire let her eyes blaze through swaths of them, then blurred her fists at more, blowing them up individually. Raven flew ahead, her hands rising forward. “Azarath metrion zinthos!” Black energy engulfed her hands, and shot out like lightning, absorbing dozens of missiles before they flew into each other, exploding harmlessly before she flew through the smoke like a wraith.

Another salvo blew up around Rith as he dashed through with Robin, their staffs snapping into missiles to get rid of more. With the Titans almost upon it, the robot groaned with a heavy, metallic exhale, and charged to meet them, shuddering the warehouse with its steps. Robin snapped a trio of blast-discs at it, but the machine blocked with its left arm, a glowing blue shield flaring to life and blocking the explosives flawlessly. The robot swept down with its right arm, catching Robin as he leapt in, staff out, sending him flying off from the blow. Rith braced to a halt, gathering sound for a blast as Starfire cried in dismay, flying to catch Robin, the others rushing up behind Rith.

The blind boy almost attacked when the machine aimed its right arm down at him, and a small gun popped out of the back of the fist, blasting a cone of distortion at Rith. He reeled back as it struck, grabbing his ears and stepping wildly from side to side, completely disoriented. “I’ve learned a few lessons from you after all, Rith!” the doctor’s voice called with dark glee.

A loud roar made the robot look up, into the jaws of green T-Rex, which snapped around, swinging Cyborg off the ends of it tail. His feet planted into the robot’s face. “Booyah!”

It reeled back, Rith collapsing to all fours, his staff clattering to the cement beside him.

“Thanks!” he managed, holding his head with one hand.

Starfire let Robin down on the other side of the warehouse, and Cyborg blasted the robot back another step with his cannon. “No problem. Let’s show this tin-can who’s boss!”

Raven swept past them and rose up, her arms out to either side, hands raised. The robot moved to strike her with its fist, but her eyes blazed, and it was encased in shadow, restraining it as Raven focused.

Rith retrieved his staff and stood up, looking to the battle with controlled alarm. “Raven! Careful! That machine is quite strong!”

Suddenly the robot burst free, Raven gasping from the pain of her soulself being so disrupted, and grunted when its hand clamped around her body, her hood falling down her back as she winced, grabbing at the thumb and finger around her waist. Blast-discs, star-bolts, sonic beams, and even a charging Rhino berated the robot instantly, but it just skidded back, and held Raven toward the team. Dr. Gear laughed. “Well, well. You might want to stop attacking before this one gets hurt, Titans!”

“I don’t think she likes being grabbed.”

Raven twisted around as she was held, looking over her shoulder to see Rith lean down over the robot’s, looking it in the optics with a firmly angered façade, staff free in his left hand.

Dr. Gear gave a cry of shock, but Rith leapt free as the robot reeled, distortions swirling around his body, and rammed the far end of his staff across the machine’s optics. A shock-wave pulsed out with a deep, powerful tone, the cement below and the walls breaking as the ring-wave struck them. The robot’s optics shattered as it reeled, and Raven was free of its grasp. She flew back, watching Rith with the others as he dropped to a low stance, facing the stumbling, roaring machine.

Cyborg whistled. “A sonic boom focused into his hit. I wouldn’t wanna be on the receiving end of that.”

Raven pulled her hood up again. “This thing is getting on my nerves,” she muttered darkly, and then shot off. Rith’s eyebrows rose with concern as she rushed past him, the robot recovering enough to aim its fists down at the team, beam-cannons rising out of its open forearms on their tops. She swept her arms up and over together, dozens of bars glowing with blackness and twirling up to her summons. “You wanted metal? HAVE SOME!” she yelled, snapping her arms down, her body curling with her cloak as the darkened bars shot past her like razor-discs. Several flew at each charging cannon, ripping into them and finally slicing them off at their bases. The robot roared, screeching as its weapons fell off, exploding on either side of it violently, shaking the entire facility.

Raven’s eyes flared with panic as it charged out of the smoke, claws grasping for her. She shot back as Starfire bolted in. A two-fisted slam across the robot’s face knocked it to the side, her eyes blazed into its chest, and her fists rammed a beam-blast into the same spot as it stumbled back.

“Cyborg!” Robin shouted, tossing a blast-disc into the air.

“Bomb delivery coming right up!” Cyborg called back with a grin, aiming his cannon with practiced finesse, and firing briefly.

The blast-disc was caught, rammed into the hole Starfire made in the robot’s chest, and blew up inside. Steam and smoke gushed out of the robot’s neck and shoulder joints, but it recovered, and charged the team again. Raven landed in front of the others, feet spread as her cloak billowed back, and pulled her hands back on either side. Dark power swirled to her call, wind pulsing across the cement from her body. Her arms snapped forward with a building shout, and a beam of power erupted into the monstrous machine’s front, ramming it off its charge, instantly forcing it to step back, claw feet skidding and scratching off the cement. Raven gritted her teeth, her frustration bleeding into her power. “Just _break_!”

Rith hurried up on her flank, the others rushing to do so as well, and he sensed the marks just starting to form on her forehead and hands. He could only sense the vague lines they etched in her skin. He distorted the sound near her ears to mimic his voice.

“ _Markings on your skin…_ ”

Raven’s eyes widened, her power vanishing abruptly as she stared down into her hands, the marks’ reflections in her lavender eyes glowing, like the one on her forehead. She was distracted from the dark reminder by a mass ripping past her, and she looked up, the marks vanishing, to see Rith slam his staff into the robot’s chest bodily, a mid-length ram-attack with the wooden weapon, his entire body curled up behind it from the impact.

A green elephant charged past her next, and rammed the robot back with a blaring cry of triumph as Rith backflipped, landing tightly in front of Raven. He growled in frustration himself. “He must have moved the power core. The wounds you all inflicted on the chest should have felled the machination by now.”

Starfire and Robin joined Cyborg in blasting the robot a few more steps back with their respective weaponry as Raven looked to Rith. “What does the power core… feel like?”

“A cylinder shape, a great deal of heat, surrounded by coolant vents, and numerous wires connecting to the top and base,” Rith listed off rapidly, looking to her as he realized what she was planning.

She stood still and straight, head bowed as her body remained hidden within her cloak. “Azarath…” the nature of the machine became real to her mind, its inner workings moving and showing their form to her, “metrion…” a hidden piece, nestled within vents and wires, became her focus. Her arms suddenly snapped forward, hands clawing toward the robot, “ _zinthos_!”

The robot shuddered, and dark mass shot out of the hole in its chest. Dr. Gear gave a cry of dismay, but the feed died, and the machine collapsed with a dying moan where it stood. Hovering on Raven’s left, just beyond her raised left hand, was the darkened power core. Everyone focused on her, a bit surprised at the abrupt defeat of the machine, and Rith was the first to smile as Raven let the core drop heavily to the cement at her feet. She smiled a bit, but it was soon gone for her usual calm expression.

“Nice!” Beast Boy exclaimed, leaping closer to the blind boy and Raven.

“One power core, C.O.D., courtesy of Raven!” Cyborg called out, grinning. “Booyah!”

Starfire flew up with Robin. “Glorious attack, Raven! Truly, you showed that robot who was the boss!”

“No kidding. Great work,” Robin added.

Raven was blushing a little, but quickly shook her head. “Just doing my part. Rith told me enough to find the power core.”

Beast Boy grinned. “Awesome! You two are the demolition _duo_!”

Raven’s brow creased faintly at the term, and she abruptly remembered the resurgence of the marks on her body. Rith spoke before the silence turned awkward. “She used a precise technique to end a problem before more people got hurt, but I take your meaning, Beast Boy,” his left eyelid squeezed in an unmistakable mimic of a wink. “Sorry I wasn’t much help.”

“You kidding?” Cyborg asked, smiling still. “You gave that thing one heck of a whooping with your staff, Rith, my man. That sonic ram was alright. I gotta have five for that!” he explained boisterously, offering his flattened palm.

Rith smirked, and slapped the metal palm with a little ‘addition’ from his power, making a sharp crack that made the others jump. Cyborg laughed. “Booyah, baby!”

“I agree,” Robin said as the tone calmed a bit, still smiling. “I think you’re a great addition to the team, Rith. I think Dr. Gear will be sorted out in no time.”

Cyborg jerked a thumb back at the ruins of the machine. “Yeah, I’ll start hacking into what’s left of his brain and figure out what we can from this little shindig.”

A soft alarm sounded from their various communicators suddenly. Robin whipped his out. “The vault!”

Rith’s eyebrows flared up. “Red X?”

Robin just started running for the exit. “I doubt it’s anyone else.”

Raven lifted off the ground, Beast Boy turned into a bird, and Starfire picked up Cyborg. Raven was just picking Robin up when a blast shot past all of them, rippling clothes and hair alike.

Beast Boy squawked in alarm, and Raven looked up with serious surprise. “Rith…”

Cyborg gawked. “I didn’t know he could fly!”

Robin just pointed up and ahead. “Let’s just get back to the tower! We have to stop Red X if we can!”

And they took off together, rushing back to the tower. As they flew, Raven turned pensive. Rith had cut in, letting her avoid attention during their conversation just then, and his alarm at hearing about Red X was almost more grave than Robin’s own. Helping Cyborg fly to the tower, her expression softened from its hardened discipline. _…I think he’s earned a little trust at this point…_ And warning her about the marks the way he had… it let her keep them private from the others. She almost sank a bit as her worries and guilt swirled in her mind. _I can cut him some slack, but don’t be stupid… I can’t afford to drag more people into my problems, nice or not._ And she flew on.

* * *

Red X flickered into existence on the roof of Titan Tower, chuckling to himself. “When opportunity knocks, it’s best to pay attention.” He touched the buckle on the belt, and hopped off the ground, just starting to glide off into the air. He grunted, pain exploding across his stomach as he flew back, crashing onto the roof. He rolled back, almost reaching the other side of the wide expanse before picking himself up and looking back to see Rith standing low to the ground, legs spread, staff behind his back, his right arm held forward and braced.

“…You hit hard, kid,” Red X muttered hoarsely, the first sign of real irritation in his voice.

Rith wasn’t smirking either. “I try to keep my force in response to the task at hand. I don’t underestimate someone I’m confronting. Take the belt off and leave it now, and I won’t bother pursuing you.”

X chuckled again, setting his hands on his hips. “Do you think I’m going to listen to you now that I can actually use all my tricks?”

“Your decision,” Rith answered with a simple shake of his head.

X flickered, and Rith shot off the ground, air blasting from his wake. X appeared ducking a swipe from Rith in the middle of the roof, on the helicopter landing pad. Rith twisted and landed, running at X again. X dodged a few sharp swipes, and sent his palm at Rith’s face, but Rith proved as adroit, and sent the butt of his staff up at X’s face after pulling his head outside the blow. X vanished, but Rith simply snapped his right foot to the side, and X flew back, doubled over. He skidded to a halt near the edge, leaning toward Rith. “You know what you’re doing, I’ll give you that.”

Rith stood up, folding his staff under one arm as the wind pushed his hair and clothes to the left, X’s cape lashing in the same direction as he faced him. The thief suddenly snapped his arms forward, black balls flying loose. Rith shot to meet them, and X muttered ‘whoa’ as he watched the spheres detonate… and the explosions rush into a trail for Rith, building around his staff as he pulled back for a hefty swing at the thief’s head.

X ducked the swipe, Rith following it through to the point of aiming the staff off to the left, but the sonic wave behind it grabbed the thief, whose eyes flared, and finally yanked him off the ground, sending him flying to the far edge of the roof. He let his legs flop down before picking himself up, Rith bracing back into a stance. “…Nice trick, kid…” Red X admitted quite sincerely, rubbing his back.

At last, the blind boy smirked a bit. “Not bad yourself, but we’ve done this already.”

X tipped his head. “That we have.”

They both vanished for a heart-beat, and appeared together, Rith hopping and swiping, X ducking and sweeping with his leg. They finished landing and standing, facing each other, staff raised to two blocking hands, stalled. The wind rustled their clothes and Rith’s hair once more. X chuckled, and tapped Rith’s staff, but suddenly ducked with a sweep. Rith lost one foot from under himself, and X palmed him in the chest. Rith flew back, tumbling to the edge of the roof as X leapt back, touching his belt and starting to float. He gave a finger-salute. “See ya around, kid!”

But he turned around to widen his eyes at a star-bolt and fly back, flipping down to his feet as the Titans came flying in. Raven sent a blast of her soulself at him, Cyborg firing his cannon, Starfire blazing away from her eyes, and Robin threw several blast-discs. Beast Boy, still a bird, dove at X himself. Red X backflipped away from their barrage, landing on his feet near the edge, a little to Rith’s left. Rith spun on his back, flicking his staff at the other boy’s legs, but X somersaulted over it, pressed down briefly, and leapt back into the air just as Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy landed.

“Adios!” X called back, and finally vanished over the edge of the tower.

Rith flipped onto his feet, ‘looking’ out to the sky with a frustrated glare on his face. Robin and the others ran or flew up to him, the fliers landing. Cyborg whistled. “You can put some speed behind ya, Rith! What were you clocking?”

The boy jerked, as if surprised to turn and find them there. “Sorry… About the speed of sound,” he answered with a light smile.

Cyborg chuckled. “Figures. Seems like you can do just about anything if sound is involved.”

Rith shrugged. “I do what I can figure out.”

Robin was grave for a moment, but smiled to Rith. “Well at least we have some proof for your side of the story. We knew X would show up again at some point…”

The staff-toting boy sighed himself. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the belt back. …And, technically speaking, this could just be a very extreme coincidence, and I still could have tried to take the belt this morning, of course,” he added with a self-deprecating smirk.

Beast Boy shook his head. “Dude, why do you keep saying stuff like that?”

“Just making sure I don’t seem ‘too eager to be trusted’,” he answered easily, still smiling.

Raven exhaled. “I think this day is done. I’ll be in my room.” She turned, her cloak rippling behind her legs as she let her hood down and walked into the tower.

Rith followed her departure softly, and then focused on the others. “Cyborg, want me to come with you to secure the robot’s remains?”

The half-robotic boy grinned. “Sounds like a plan, Rith. Come on, I’ll get to show you my wheels!” He stopped, thought, and raised a finger with a blush and fresh grin, “You’ll get to feel its shape!”

Rith laughed sincerely, nodding. “Sounds good. Lead on.”

They left quickly, and Starfire put a hand on Robin’s shoulder as he looked off seriously, where X had vanished. “It is not your fault, Robin.”

He nodded a bit, and turned, smiling at her. “I know, but it’s still a problem we’ll have to deal with. Let’s go inside.” Starfire, Beast Boy, and he walked into the tower as well, the sun drawing near to the horizon as the door shut behind them.

* * *

Raven sat on the edge of her bed, hugging her knees under her chin as she looked down at the floor, worried and weary. The robot had just frustrated her, threatening her friends and taking so much damage without _stopping_ , but it was still enough to make the markings appear. She shivered, squeezing her body together as her eyes clenched. Memories of the rooftop, with Slade grabbing her, burning the vision into her mind, onto her skin. She would almost rip her skin off if she thought it would stop anything.

So alone, she felt so alone. Her friends couldn’t help her, they would only get hurt. She cared for them, enjoyed their company, and wanted to help them fight the evils in the world, but… if she was going to _be_ one of the worst evils in the world, what was she doing? She gritted her teeth against the images of them turned to stone, struggling forever against manifestations of _her_ power. Lakes of fire, ruined cities… her father roaring in triumph.

Her eyes snapped open, her hair relaxing down from her power flaring instinctively, the books and trinkets all around her room slowly calming from the powerful rattle she’d sent through the chamber. Raven sank her face into her hands, letting her legs down over the edge of the bed. _I have to stop this somehow. I don’t want to hurt my friends! I don’t want to destroy the world!_ Slade’s cold voice whispered in her mind. “ _You can’t stop it…_ ” Her anger, her rage, she could feel it in her head. _What you have concealed you will become!_ Raven gritted her teeth, grimacing. _Nooo… I won’t hurt my friends! I won’t! I WON’T!!!_

She gasped, feeling as if she’d just woken up somehow, acutely aware of how _quiet_ her room was, her heart rushing in her ears, her breath roaring behind her eyes. Raven swallowed, and blinked, realizing she had tears in her eyes. She quickly rubbed them away, and let herself sink back onto her bed. Right then, she was just… so… tired… Her eyes drifted shut, and she fell asleep.

* * *

Less than an hour later, Beast Boy quietly eased down one of the halls in the tower, widely shifting from foot to foot, the book he’d bought gripped securely in his left hand. Finally reaching his goal, he stopped, stood still, and stared at the door with growing dread. He straightened, pulled his shoulders back, and cleared his throat, suddenly thinking to hide his gift, so he pulled both hands behind his back. Now that he was there, he wasn’t so sure giving Raven the book was such a good idea. He’d probably picked the _one_ book she would hate. Sure, it seemed like something she would like, but what did he know? Then again, could she really get _more_ angry with him? He doubted it.

So, with a deep breath, he reached out… and knocked.

Raven’s eyes opened. She hadn’t budged an inch since falling asleep. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, eyeing her door sourly before pulling her hood up.

The door fractionally slid open, Raven’s hooded head peeking through. “What?”

Beast Boy grinned, blushing and awkward. “H-hiya, Raven! I just, um… wanted to…” he found his hands, and pulled the book out to show her, “give you a present.”

He could see the shift in her eyes as they focused down on the book. “…Why?” she asked, her voice softened, clearly taken unawares.

The green-skinned young man remained awkward, but his voice was sincere. “Well… I can’t ever make you smile or cheer up with my jokes, so…” He sighed. “Honestly, Rith gave me the idea. But,” he started quickly, “I picked it out and got it myself, I swear!”

Raven pulled her hood down, letting the door open completely. “You just bought me a present… to cheer me up?” Her voice remained softly puzzled.

Beast Boy nodded. “To try anyway… Here. I hope it’s okay…” He pushed the book to her, offering.

Raven took it gently with both hands, her fingers tracing over the cover as she looked at it quietly. Beast Boy wasn’t sure if this was the effect he wanted, so he scratched the back of his head, smiling. “W-well… I’ll leave you alone now. Sorry if I interrupted anything.” He dipped his head and lanked away, hoping to avoid any flare of her temper.

She looked up with her softened eyes in mild alarm, her guilt swelling abruptly in her chest. Her hair rippled as she moved out of her doorway.

“Beast Boy!”

He froze, and turned around, only to jerk with surprise as Raven grabbed onto him with a hug, the book still held in her right hand. He was too shocked to respond immediately, but then relaxed a bit, and reached his arms up to return it. He patted her on the back gently as she buried her eyes in his shoulder.

“The book’s fine… Thank you, Beast Boy…”

Sympathy grew in his usually goofy expression. “You’re welcome, but I was trying to make you smile, not upset you like this.”

She shook her head, and stood back… smiling faintly. “It worked… better than you think. Thanks…” she let her voice trail off quietly.

Beast Boy grinned, blushing with glee. “Awesome!” He laughed at himself. “Don’t worry, I won’t crack any stupid jokes.”

Raven actually laughed a bit. “Don’t let me stop you. Have a nice evening, Beast Boy.”

“You, too!” He waved rapidly, and trotted off, very pleased indeed.

Raven looked down at the book in her hand with a soft smile lingering on her face. It actually looked half-way interesting, too. She hugged it to her front, closing her eyes for a moment. _Thank you, Beast Boy…_


	5. Triple Trouble

Cyborg adjusted a dial on a large console with his right hand, looking up as he finished doing so to see Rith standing at the front of a unique alcove, the other Titans scattered behind him and Cyborg both. The air beyond Rith was distorting toward the far wall, a copy of Cyborg’s sonic cannon firing constantly on the blind boy’s right, the beam vanishing as it touched the distortion. The half-robotic boy whistled. “My sonic beam reduced to a distracting buzz in a confined space… The air molecules are slowing down in a controlled spatial field. How can you keep _track_ of this stuff, Rith?”

The blind boy smiled faintly. “No eyesight to distract me.”

Raven loomed back seriously, but Robin smirked a bit, Starfire was curious and enthusiastic as she listened, Beast Boy just blinking at the jargon, and Cyborg chuckled. “So let’s test something.”

A cement block rose up on a platform inside the alcove where the air was so distorted.

“Use my beam to hit it from _behind_ ,” Cyborg said with calm emphasis.

Rith only nodded, and the cannon’s beam appeared clearly as the distortion vanished, but the blue-white beam bent, wrapped through the air behind the block, and pierced it from behind, shattering the cement into dust before the distortion returned.

“Your control is very precise,” Raven commented, her arms crossed as she watched.

Without turning, Rith tipped his head to her comment appreciatively. Cyborg, however, grinned dangerously, and pushed a flashing red button. Rith raised his eyebrows, the others moving in closer to see what was happening, and the back of the alcove rose up into the ceiling, exposing a target dozens of meters away, in a large chamber.

“It’s my workshop,” Cyborg explained, his car visible off to the far right inside the newly revealed chamber, “so try not to wreck the wallpaper. Hit the target as hard as you like.”

The blind boy smirked a bit. “As hard as I want, hmm?”

He just pointed, and the sonic cannon beside him released its beam, angling faintly to line up with the bull’s eye. Abruptly it warped, bulged, and accelerated through the target, the beam vanishing into the simple distortion near Rith once again. The others looked to Cyborg for the report, but saw his slack-jawed sweat-drop instead. Raven’s brow creased.

“Well…?”

Even Rith became a bit awkward as Cyborg remained silently stunned for a few more seconds, finally shaking his head free of the trance. He replied, “That blast hit with nearly thirty times the raw impact force as my normal blast.”

Everyone focused back on Rith, the boy finally turning as the cannon shut off and the distortion vanished. He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

Beast Boy stared with spinning, blank eyes. “…You weren’t even trying, dude…”

“It’s easy when the sound is already there, Beast Boy…” he trailed off weakly, realizing he was just making it worse.

Raven’s expression was stern. “That’s quite a bit of power you can manifest.”

He calmed, easily sensing her attitude along with the others. “It has its price. I very rarely find a location where I can relax without having to focus some of my ability to drown out noise. And if loud sounds do surprise me… well, you’ve seen the result of that.”

Cyborg shut down the console, stepping around to join them. “So you’re basically hyper-sensitive to sound, right?”

Rith nodded. “Any kind of vibration through matter, whatever the state. Underwater is a bit overwhelming for me… Whales are very loud,” he admitted with a nervous smile, blushing a bit.

Robin stroked his chin, one arm supporting the other elbow. “That reminds me. I’m glad you did, but just how did you catch Red X that first time, down at the vault? Were you down there already?”

The boy became more gravely hesitant, everyone noticing, especially Raven. He cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows. “…I was on the roof.”

Starfire blinked. “…You mean the Red X came in through the roof as well?”

“…Not exactly,” he continued, still a bit anxious.

Cyborg’s eyes widened. “You mean you _heard_ him down in the basement!?”

Raven’s eyes were widened in controlled panic, but she was behind the others, so only Rith could sense it. It was precisely the reason for his anxiety. He remained honest and sincere, answering, “Yes,” simply to Cyborg’s question. “There’s a car accident on fifth street right now, and there are five boats out in the bay around this island.”

Everyone just gawked at him, even Raven sweatdropped a bit. Beast Boy blinked. “…You mean you can hear like that… for miles?”

“More if the conditions are right,” Rith answered seriously, his head looking down.

Starfire poked her index-fingers together, blushing a bit as she floated in front of him. “…You can hear us in our rooms even on the roof?”

He immediately shook his head. “I would never violate your privacy. I make myself deaf to your rooms if I know you’re in them. I let myself listen to the rest of the tower for security reasons, trying to be helpful while I’m here.”

Raven touched a hand to her sternum with relief. Robin stepped forward. “I had no idea… How can you sleep at all?”

Rith smiled faintly. “I use circadian meditation. The benefits of sleep, less time used, and it lets me maintain a controlled deadening of my hearing.”

Beast Boy blanched. “You never sleep?”

“I may as well be sleeping, my senses are all but closed off while I meditate in that fashion. It’s not the only method I use, but the usual one. I can fall asleep if tired enough, like anyone on an airplane or in a busy building. The sounds eventually just drone into a white mass of noise. Car horns usually wake me up, though. Sudden and loud.”

Thoughtful, Raven focused on him calmly, her suspicions eased a bit by his honesty. _That would explain his wandering. Isolated places, far away from cities or other people would be the only places he could really rest…_ He was almost a kindred spirit… but she quashed that idea quickly, closing her eyes. _Don’t even start._ Starting for the exit, she said, “Speaking of meditation, I’ll be busy for a while.”

Everyone looked to her, but Robin spoke with calm surprise. “You’re not going to watch Rith’s run through the training course?”

She stopped, turning with a consternated expression, but Rith himself smiled calmly. “I hardly consider myself that entertaining. Her meditation should prove more rewarding. I look forward to seeing how I do myself, but I won’t ask any of you to stick around and watch.”

Cyborg patted Rith’s back, which almost knocked the blind boy over. “No way, Rith! It’s a tradition! We all watch each other run the course, _at least_ on the first run!”

The blind boy laughed a bit. “If it looks like I can join the team, why don’t we wait until then to try guilt-tripping her into watching me, mmm?”

Starfire popped up beside Raven, making the darker girl jerk and twitch away. “Oh please, Raven! Let us all watch Rith demonstrate his skills! I am most eager to see him show versatility with his powers!”

Raven calmed into an annoyed, closed-eyes stance, her head bowed. “Like he said, my meditation is important.”

Beast Boy smiled, sighing a bit. “Nice try, Cy, but I think we should let her go this time.”

She looked up with silent surprise, and the others focused on their green friend. Robin smiled easily. “I guess you’re right. Sorry, Raven. Have… a nice meditation.”

Raven smiled a bit, tipped her head, and left finally. Rith laughed at himself. “I suppose I better be impressive now…” The others giggled or laughed with him.

Outside the room, Raven paused, her eyebrows rising up in the middle. She sighed wearily, her head sinking, and walked back. “…Well are we going outside or not?” she asked with a faint smirk, leaning on the door-frame.

Everyone was happy to see her agree, but she saw Rith’s sincere surprise. He quickly softened it into an appreciative smile, and Cyborg led the march out to the tower grounds, where the practice course was built-in.

* * *

A few minutes later, Rith stood with staff on the rocky ground beneath the controls for the course, the other Titans standing up there with Cyborg. “It’s real simple, Rith. Just go through the obstacles as they pop up until you get back here as fast as possible.”

The tan-cloaked boy nodded. “Ready and waiting.”

Raven leaned against the rock wall behind Cyborg, one foot tapping off the ground lightly as she looked down at Rith. After Terra and Malchior, she wasn’t any better disposed to trusting than before, but at this point she had to admit Rith had a sincerity about him and gave off none of the threatening sensations she’d felt in Terra. Malchior… if she’d been thinking reasonably she would have noticed certain signs, too, but that didn’t matter anymore. The idea of just relaxing a bit around Rith seemed appealing, but she couldn’t let it happen… not with Slade lurking in the shadows, waiting…

Cyborg booted up the sequence, and pressed the final confirmation. “You’re hot! Go!”

Rith sprinted forward, his staff held along his back with his right hand, and reached a series of crashing gates. The first one blew apart at his gesture from a sonic blast, but then he flew off the ground and shot through the remaining four, skidding to a halt in front of a field of stone spikes that suddenly fired target-locked missiles at him, dozens of them.

Deciding to use a little flare rather than necessity, Rith smirked and shot off again, coiling and swirling through the missiles, arcing over the field. He landed, the missiles curving around to chase him, as a massive robot pulled itself out of the ground beyond, aiming glowing optics at him as they tried to build to fire lasers. Rith snapped his fingers as the first missiles came close, and they exploded… without a sound. The shockwaves pulsed back, blowing up the whole nest of missiles, and Rith shoved his arms forward, staff gripped in his right fist. A blasting wave of distortion rushed past him, swirled into a beam, and blew the robot apart.

He flew through the collapsing remains, and flickered into a sequence of rings that opened within a certain time scheme. At the second to last ring, his body swinging right from just twisting through the previous one, he shuddered to a halt in mid air, distortions swirling past his body, as the ring shut, then sprang back up, letting him shoot through, rushing back toward the console, where the Titans waited. Cyborg smirked, and touched a few controls. “Let’s see how he handles this.”

Spheres rose up on long poles, and gave off dull chimes, distortions pulsing out from them all around Rith. He flipped over, crashing to his haunches, gripping his staff securely. Raven’s brow creased, realizing Rith was braced for a fight. “…What are those spheres doing?”

“The sonic version of a hologram. All the right sounds of a small army of droids, but nothing’s actually there.”

Rith finally lunged forward, sweeping with his staff. When he hit nothing, the boy immediately laughed, and shot ahead, his staff ramming through the stalks of the raised spheres in his way. Cyborg pouted. “…Figures…”

A cluster field of energy cannons popped up on the final stretch, and Rith let himself land, dashing toward them. As they fired, he let shots bounce off a bubble of sound around his body, ducking and weaving around others, finally taking his staff to the guns as he came close. With a flurry of strikes and precise leaps and spins, he skidded to a halt in front of the console, a trail of flaming cannon-stumps in his wake.

Cyborg hit another button, and all the hidden weaponry descended and shut off. “Not bad at all, Rith. You came second for the best record. Robin’s,” he finished with amusement.

The blind boy feigned arrogant dismissal. “Oh well, what can you do?” He shrugged and tossed his free hand, then grinned. “Nice trick with the sonic emitters, by the way. They were a little squishy though.”

Cyborg blinked. “Squishy?”

“Yeah, they looked kinda like jell-o gnomes…”

Beast Boy visualized the idea, and burst out laughing, rolling on the ground as Raven rolled her eyes. She stepped down to Rith’s level, her cloak rustling gently. “You’re disciplined, but you don’t mind showing off, I see.”

“I tried to have some fun with this, yes. Should I not have?”

She shrugged, starting to walk past him. “Just means you’re hiding your serious focus from us,” the purple-haired girl added, actually smirking a bit with her dry humor.

Rith, however, stopped-short, blushing a bit. “Oh… you’re right… sorry.”

As the others came down, Raven turned around, slightly puzzled. “I was joking… as hard as that is to believe,” she finished with a faint dry turn to her voice.

He smiled. “Oh I know, but you’re right, too. I didn’t mean to, sorry.”

She continued to look at him quizzically, but finally smiled a bit, and walked off. Starfire flew down and giggled. “Very impressive, Rith! A glorious display!”

The blind boy smiled back. “I’m glad you liked it, Starfire.” Her warm attitude charmed him easily. She was very good and cheerful, it was a relief in a harsh world.

“The way you dodged those missiles was… inspirational,” Robin added wryly.

Rith laughed a bit. “Glad to be of service.”

Cyborg’s arm beeped before he could offer his own comments, and he checked it. “Ah, now we’re talkin’! That data we swiped from the robot in the metal works is finally decrypted. I’ll go check it out, see what I can find.”

“Want me to help?” Rith offered immediately.

Cyborg waved it down. “Don’t worry about it. And, no offense, but it’ll all be screen work anyway.”

Rith just nodded, not taking any. Robin smiled for his friend. “Great, Cyborg. Call us all in when you think you’ve got something.”

“You got it!” the half-metal boy gave a thumbs up to them as he walked off.

* * *

That evening most of the Titans were in the living area. Rith was in the kitchen washing the dishes, Beast Boy and Robin were playing video-games under Starfire’s energetic cheering for whoever was losing at a given point in time, and Raven was sitting back on the right side of the room, smiling a bit as she read the book Beast Boy bought for her, her legs crossed and her mind engrossed.

Rith smiled to himself as he cleaned the dishes, drying a few off with a towel. Though the sounds of the game and the others’ shouting were a bit harsh, they still showed him Raven’s soft face, her lips in a faint smile. She had such a lovely smile, however subtle. After a few minutes, he started to brew up some tea, pleased to sense her still focused on her book and the others playing. Robin had traded out with Starfire, both he and Beast Boy happy to teach her more about playing as she bravely attempted to best Beast Boy in the racing game.

“Go, Star, go! You can do it!” the boy wonder yelled happily, batting his fist in the air.

Starfire focused tensely, Beast Boy and she both braced on their knees, leaning closer and closer to the screen on the final stretch. At the last second, Star shot ahead of Beast Boy by a nose on their vehicles, and she squealed with glee, raising her arms up. “Glorious victory! I see clearly why the video games are so much fun!”

Beast Boy gawked at his loss, but then grinned as he and Robin goaded her into playing another race, this time against Robin.

Raven finally broke her focus and glanced over to them with a soft addition to her smile. It was good to see her friends happy and enjoying themselves. When a soft thud sounded beside her, she quickly looked up on her right, and blinked as Rith stood there, setting a cup of tea on the table beside her right elbow as she held the book. For some reason she found herself awkward as he smiled gently.

“I thought you might want some tea. Is that alright?”

Raven calmed her expression to mild amusement. “Oh no, I can’t stand it when people wait on me…”

He shared her humor perfectly, smirking a little, and tipped his head sincerely before starting to return to the kitchen. Noting her place in the book, Raven folded it closed over a finger, and focused up on him. He stopped, apparently ‘seeing’ the gesture, and turned back to her, mildly curious.

“I’m sorry about what I did when Red X first tried for the belt. Suspicion is one thing, but… I went a little over the top on you.”

Her expression was apologetic, calm and reserved, but he felt the deep sincerity in her voice, and the shapes of her eyes. The sounds washed over him, and he was smiling easily. “You already apologized for that, and I told you it was quite understandable. You were protecting your friends.”

Raven nodded faintly, but added, “I apologized again… because I feel like I was attacking a friend…” She turned a bit sympathetic and curious as his expression became deeply wistful, his whole body seeming to slow down and stop. “…Are you okay?” she asked quietly, knowing he, of all people, would hear her.

His smile returned brightly, simply maintaining the wistful attitude that had fallen over him. “Oh yes… thank you. I’m wonderful.” As her head pulled back in mild anxiety, he quickly regained his composure. “Please, continue to enjoy your book. I didn’t mean to interrupt so much.”

Raven smiled a bit, nodded, and looked down to her book as he walked to the kitchen finally. Her eyes glanced back up at his back, somewhat troubled. She knew what the subtle shift in his expression had meant. _…I guess it’s too late to not drag him into my problems anyway… but…_ she blushed a little, and quickly cleared her throat, truly focusing on her book to avoid the issue in her head.

Just a moment later, Beast Boy, Robin, and Starfire were walking toward the kitchen area as well, the last game ending with Robin losing by a shy margin himself, and they were intent on treating Starfire to a victory snack. Beast Boy paused, letting Robin and Star continue on as he realized Raven was reading the book he gave her. His eyes flared and he grinned, leaping over to her. Raven jumped, her hair flailing up as her tea-cup shook dangerously from her surprise, a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks, but Beast Boy quickly caught the cup, steadied it, and returned to grinning. “You’re actually reading it! Awesome!”

The others paused near the kitchen, looking back to watch.

Raven calmed with a mild laugh and faint smile, nodding. “It’s actually pretty interesting, Beast Boy. Thanks.”

“No problem!” he yelled happily, springing in the air and making her wince, though she was still amused.

Robin grinned, leaning back on the counter. “Beast Boy, you bought Raven a present?”

Raven blushed a bit under the attention herself as Beast Boy flushed with pride. “Yeah, yeah! And she _likes_ it!”

Starfire shot over, Raven reeling back in her seat. “Oh show me the wondrous gift Beast Boy has bought for you! Please, please!”

A bit stuck for words, Raven slowly held the book up, showing the cover. “It’s just… memoirs of famous witches here on earth, basically…”

Starfire glowed with happiness, floating curled up in front of the sitting, pallid girl. “Oh a perfect choice! It is a subject you find most interesting, yes?”

So much direct attention on her interests was a bit awkward for Raven, so she actually patted her hair down the back of her head, looking down and off. “It’s worth looking into, yes… I… tend to read spell books or histories… this one… just… It’s something new, I guess.”

Starfire giggled, and latched onto Beast Boy. “Then we must let Raven enjoy your lovely gift, Beast Boy. Come, come!” She yanked him off so fast his spinning eyes waited in the air for a split-second after they zipped to the kitchen.

Raven’s smile flashed a bit brighter, but she was relieved in a certain sense to just focus back on her book. Still, she found herself smiling as the others chatted with Rith about their videogame exploits.

* * *

Cyborg charged into the living room from the main entrance, marching down the stairs with a disc raised in his hand. “I got something. Y’all might wanna take a look.”

Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Rith moved from the kitchen, and Raven set her book down, everyone walking over to the TV area as Cyborg slipped the disc into the computer console, bringing it up on the main screen. It showed a grid-map of a section of the city, and five different buildings were illuminated, several blocks away from each other. “The robot used a scrambler in case anyone, like us, tried to backtrack its boss, but because of the direct connection, it had to use a limited range encryption.”

Beast Boy drooled with blank eyes, then snapped out of it. “Say what?”

“The signal bounced around five places, but the hideout _is_ one of the five,” Raven explained flatly.

“Booyah,” Cyborg muttered calmly, adjusting some controls to bring up images of the five buildings. Most of them were warehouses, one was an office building, and another was on the harbor, a pier building.

Robin stroked his chin, eyeing the images thoughtfully. “I’m not sure what would be the best plan. Splitting up would put each of us in danger, and taking each building could give Dr. Gear time to escape.”

Abruptly the tower alarm went off, the Titan’s respective comm devices blinking in unison. Robin ran to the secondary console, booting it up to see what the situation was. “Unbelievable… Three places are getting hit at once. Red X and more machines are attacking three separate computer manufacturing facilities in the heart of the city.”

Rith raised an eyebrow. “X is working with Dr. Gear?”

Robin shook his head. “Can’t say yet, might just be a coincidence.”

Raven pulled her hood up. “We should split up, a pair for each problem.”

“I agree,” the team leader said with a nod. “Starfire, you and I will handle Red X. Cyborg, Beast Boy, you two handle this place,” the main screen shifted, showing a blow up of one building, “Raven, take Rith with you to the other,” and that building appeared as well.

Rith hesitated fractionally, but when Raven turned to him, he sensed no hesitation on her part, so he nodded calmly. “At your leisure, madam.”

She quirked an eyebrow, but raised her cloak on the left, her soulself engulfing them both. An amorphous black effigy shot out of the tower, flying to the city. Cyborg and Beast Boy ran to Cy’s car, and Starfire grabbed Robin, flying him out of the tower.

* * *

A robotic figure just too large to be human threw a large, mechanical door behind it like a paper weight, crashing through the opening and moving past rows of super-computers, toward another vault at the end, the walls and computers black with a glistening, white floor. In the clear light, a human face was visible in the head of the robot, obviously a muscular, silver cyborg-body-suit of some kind as the relatively young man marched along, grimly satisfied with his power.

A black swirl appeared on the safe he wanted, causing him to pause as Raven flowed out, Rith stepping up on her left, staff pinned under his arm. Raven’s expression turned gravely troubled. “Adonis?”

The boy in the robotic suit grinned. “Well, well. And I was worried you wouldn’t come back to me, baby.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits, glowing. “And I was going to go easy on you…” Her hands wrenched up, engulfed in black power, and then slammed straight.

A beam of soulself blasted into Adonis’ silver chest, but he skidded back, tensed, and then flexed taut, breaking her hold on him. Raven groaned faintly, shaking her hands as if stung. “His new suit is tougher than the old one.”

Rith twirled his staff, running around her. “Dr. Gear’s work, I can tell. Try to find a similar power source to the automaton we fought!”

Raven calmed and focused as he ran into the fray.

Adonis laughed, and sent his fist flying down at Rith’s head, but the blind boy flickered, flipping over the attack and slamming both feet into the silver chest, the air distorting with thick waves. Adonis grunted, and then laughed. “You can’t hurt Adonis!” He grabbed Rith, who gave a shout of pain as his arms were crushed into his flanks, and threw him into the right set of computers.

Raven snapped out of her trance in alarm, watching Rith crash into the fifth computer away from Adonis, several sparking stumps marking his trail as the boy limply lay on the ground. “…Rith,” she whispered painfully, realizing she’d failed to help him. Then her eyes focused on Adonis. “Let’s see how you like it when the lights go out!”

She flexed her hands up and forward, Adonis’ head engulfed in darkness. He stumbled, clutching at the bubble of shadow, and finally shouted in anger, charging blindly ahead. Raven’s eyes widened, realizing she would be crushed by his armored body, and released her spell. He smirked at the last second, and wrenched his right hand forward, grabbing her around the waist and slamming her against the wall. Raven grunted, and then grabbed the hand holding her, shoving with all her might. Realizing she couldn’t push free, she glowered at Adonis, who leered at her. “How about a kiss for Adonis?”

“I agree with your taste in women…”

Raven was just as confused as Adonis, seeing no body to go with the voice they had both heard clearly on Adonis’ left. Raven jerked her eyes left, smiling a bit as Rith appeared on Adonis’ _other_ shoulder, staff braced back for a swing, brow firmed, but smirking. “But your method needs some _tweaking_!”

Adonis took a sonic-powered slam straight to his rather unprotected face, and flew back, releasing Raven into a floating position before he crashed out through the initial vault he’d torn out of the first wall. Rith joined her in watching Adonis try to get up, his face hardly recognizable it was so battered, and finally crash onto his back with a shuddering thud. Raven dropped down lightly, and then looked to Rith with a raised eyebrow as she pulled her hood down. “…Taste in women?”

Rith smiled a bit. “Well I doubt you’ve never been told you’re beautiful before.”

He said it so easily and honestly that she was simply stunned, not even blushing at first, her hands hanging down from slightly raised arms. Rith started past her, ignoring the whole matter. “We should make sure that suit doesn’t come back to haunt us. Then shall we go see if your friends need some back up?”

Raven watched him walk ahead of her for a heart-beat, abruptly blushed as the meaning of what he’d said before really hit, and then shook her head free of the distraction before hurrying after him. “Sounds good. Let’s hurry though.” He simply nodded his agreement as they reached Adonis.

* * *

Beast Boy slammed into a wall with a pained grunt, Cyborg skidding back near the shapeshifter on two boots and his left hand. The green Titan picked himself off the wall and took on a stance beside Cyborg. “Alright, this thing is making me mad!”

Hulking down in the large space centered in the highest floor of the computer facility, Dr. Gear’s robot flashed its red optics. Smaller than the big one the whole team had fought, It was as large as Adonis’ suit, with a similar robotic-muscular design.

Cyborg activated his cannon. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’, BB?” He looked to his friend with a dark smirk.

Smacking his left fist into his right palm, Beast Boy smirked right back. “Sonic-Rex time, baby!”

Cyborg charged the robot, which gave a roar from its wolfish head, and shot off to meet him. Cyborg fired, skidding to a halt. The robot generated a field of dull white energy beyond its head, dispersing the sonic beam. Lunging through the dissipating blast, the robot had no chance to avoid the angry, green T-Rex. Beast Boy head-butted the machine, sending it rolling over itself, slamming into the far wall with a sweatdrop and dying moan.

When the robot flopped onto its back, Beast Boy returned to his normal shape, eyes still spinning from the head-butt. Cyborg let his arm transform as he stepped forward, a serious expression on his face. “Doesn’t wanna play dead…”

Beast Boy shook his head clear, and his eyes just about popped free of his head. “Dude, we took him _down_ already!”

The robot picked itself up, growling, and flashed its eyes. There was a sizeable dent in the monster’s forehead, however. Cyborg smirked a bit. “Time to take this outside. Hey, B, keep him busy for a second!” he called, running off to the left.

Beast Boy blanched, and then saw the robot rip-start toward him, claws tearing at the ground. “Oh man!” Shifting into a cheetah, he sprinted for the back of the ante-chamber into which they’d been knocked initially.

Bounding powerfully with its legs, the robot kept after Beast Boy, actually laughing a bit as the green cheetah ground to a stop in front of the wall. Twisting around, he stared dismally at the charging robot, only to smile the next second, reverting to his human form. “Have a nice _trip_ , chrome-dome!”

Beast Boy vanished into a bird, which flittered off as Cyborg shoulder-rammed the robot form behind with a loud, “Booyah!” It pitched forward, sweat-dropping with shock, and plowed through the wall as Cyborg dropped down, Beast Boy landing in his normal shape on his left. They leaned out to see the machine hit the ground, shattering into hundreds of pieces. Cyborg grinned. “Guess he couldn’t keep it together!”

Beast Boy guffawed. “Nice one!”

“Hah, hah…” a familiar, dry voice replied with no humor.

Cyborg and Beast Boy spun around to see a shadow drop Raven and Rith into the building with them. Cyborg waved, walking up with Beast Boy as he said, “We showed it who’s bad, no worries!”

Raven pulled her hood down. “Any news from Starfire or Robin?”

Sharing her concern, Cyborg activated his comm device. “Yo, Robin? Star? Any luck?”

Starfire’s anxious voice replied in spurts, interrupted with alarmed squeaks. “We have-ah!-found the Red-eep!-X! Robin and he are-ah!-fighting! I can not assist without harming Robin!”

Cyborg focused. “We’ll be there as fast as we can! Cyborg out!”

Raven raised her arms. “It’s not too far. Come on, I’ll bring us.”

They all vanished in a bubble of darkness, and a black bird effigy shot into the sky. On the street below, a smaller robot burst out of the wreckage, and looked up with a flash of its optics…

* * *

Starfire floated from one spot to another fretfully. The large storage room was filled with computers, boxes, crates, and part-strewn metal tables, and the lighting was less than fantastic. Robin leapt back from Red X as the thief swiped with his spinning blades. Starfire built power around her fists, but Robin shot back in before she could safely blast the darkly clad villain, who was on her left as she watched them. “Oh,” she drew out anxiously, “I can not help my friend…”

Robin rolled backward in mid-air, dodging a swipe from X, and snapped to a crouch before sweeping with his left leg. X flickered out of sight, and Robin leapt up with a spin-kick, catching X in the face as he reappeared. The thief skidded back, facing off with Robin.

“What are you after, X!?” Robin demanded, blast discs appearing in his hands.

The filtered voice chuckled. “That’s the big question, isn’t it?”

Frustrated, the leader of the Titans snapped his arms, unleashing a barrage of yellow-black discs. X just aimed his palms and let a flurry of x-stars fly to meet them, exploding violently. Before he could take advantage, however, a star-bolt slammed into him, sending the thief crashing into an old super-computer. Starfire flew in, eyes glowing. “We will not let you steal from this place!”

Red X picked himself up with a sigh. Focusing past Robin, off to his left, the thief spotted a large vault door in the far wall. _There it is…_ Looking back to Starfire as Robin twirled his staff out at the ready, X replied, “Sorry, beautiful, but I have business to take care of.” X dove to his left, Starfire eye-blasting the computer in his wake.

The alien girl squeaked, embarrassed by her mistake, and saw Robin leap ahead, staff rushing at X’s face-plate. Red X vanished with a laugh, Robin awkwardly spinning in recovery from the miss. X appeared at the vault… but it turned black, and a claw of shadow grabbed him, slamming him back into a crate. Robin and Starfire shot in, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Rith pouring out of the swirling black on the vault. Raven stood ready, hands raised. “I think you missed the point of a vault.”

Surrounded, X slowly stood. “I was never much for following the rules, kid.”

Cyborg aimed his cannon, Beast Boy warped into a raptor, Rith summoned distortions on either side, Raven called shadow around her hands in spheres, Robin held his staff forward, and Starfire’s fists and eyes blazed with crystalline, jade power. Raven’s expression remained flat. “We’ll see who’s the kid.”

“Right,” X drew out in amusement. Abruptly, he leapt at Robin, and the boy wonder spun to meet him with his staff. X blocked it with his foot, starting to fall, and Cyborg and Starfire fired at him with their arms. X laughed, sweeping his right arm in an arc behind his body, creating a red field that absorbed their attacks, his left foot snapping into Robin’s face. As he started to fall, the sonic beam shooting out at Starfire, the star-bolt at Cyborg, the thief aimed his palms at the other three, and fired off x-shaped blasts.

Rith focused to blast the one flying at him with sound, but it exploded with a sonic wave itself, and he had to concentrate powerfully to avoid it destroying the whole building. Raven just started to chant her sutra when her hands were caught by small x-restraints, which distracted her enough to let another clamp over her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise and alarm. Beast Boy was bowled over by the X that struck his raptor chest, snapping around his limbs and sticking to him even as he reverted, rolling him into a hog-tied green, black, and purple ball on the floor.

X shot past the group, Raven clawing at her mouth-cover, and slammed his palm into the vault. A red flash ‘x’ marked the door, and it simply fell into four pieces. X dropped, looking down as he realized the falling chunks of metal made no sound. He spun in time to take the sonic ram straight to his chest, flying into the vault-space and smacking into the back wall with a harsh thud. Raven finally started to get her gag off, and it split apart in her grip. The girl felt the rush of precise sound-blades as Rith leapt past her, the others rushing close to help Beast Boy and guard the exit of the vault.

Red X groaned, rubbing his chest as Rith faced him inside, brow creased. X dropped into a stance, but started to glance around inside the vault. Rith raised an eyebrow as he calmed. “I guess you are _not_ looking for anything in here?”

The thief started to ease back. “I guess I got some bad info…”

The blind boy stamped his staff to the ground. “From whom?”

Beast Boy, rubbing his sore wrists, looked to the others. “I didn’t think anybody actually talked like that…”

Raven just waved for him to shut up, watching with Robin and the others seriously.

Red X slowly shook his head. “Bad for business to talk about that, kid. You should know that, at least.”

“Your business _is_ bad,” Rith replied with mild humor. Robin appeared on his right, Starfire floated up on his left, and Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy filled in behind them.

The leader of the Titans moved ahead, staff at the ready. “Tell us what you were after.”

With a light laugh, the thief raised his right hand. “No can do.” Everyone braced, but his left hand snapped out and released a blinding flash and deafening boom. Rith gave a shout of pain, and when the others could see again, the thief was gone, and Rith was kneeling, staff on the floor, holding his head.

Realizing Red X was gone, Robin hurried to the kneeling boy with the others, getting down in front of him. “Anything serious, Rith?”

The cloaked boy shook his head faintly. “…Just need… a few seconds…”

Raven drew back. “Give him some room, your hearts are deafening him at that range.”

The others quickly did so, simply not realizing the fact for themselves yet, and Rith gave a soft tip of his head in thanks to Raven as he remained on his knees. At length, he rose to his feet, picking up his staff, but was noticeably wearied. “Thank you very much. I’m sorry I couldn’t do much to help.”

Robin managed a smile. “You did plenty, and we all did a good job considering. I hope you guys at least had better luck?”

Cyborg and Beast Boy gave thumbs up, Raven simply nodding. “Adonis was sporting a new suit, made by Dr. Gear,” she added.

The leader nodded, crossing his arms thoughtfully. “I think it’s pretty obvious that Red X is working for Dr. Gear, or was at least hired by him for this job. It’s all too coincidental, splitting us up like this.”

Cyborg blew out a breath. “It’s been a long day. Let’s say we call it a night and get some shut-eye?”

Robin smiled, everyone agreeing. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go home.”


	6. Raven Song

The warmth of her bed became a little more obvious, the softness of her pillow and blanket wonderfully welcoming. Her pale lips smiled faintly, her head shifting softly on her pillow. After a few more moments, Raven’s lavender eyes flowed open with a soft inhale. Sunlight was spilling into her room, the girl herself curled slightly up on her right side, her new book on the bed under her arms. She sat up softly, rubbing her eyes, and then paused, slowly lowering her hands. No nightmares. She had not slept so well in weeks. In fact, she felt good, rejuvenated, actually happy. The cloaked girl smiled faintly, glancing down at the book Beast Boy bought her. Calm, she looked over to her clock… and saw that it was nearly noon. Her shock was obvious. _…I haven’t slept in that long in… never._

Obviously she had needed it. Slipping off her bed, she stretched her arms with a satisfied groan, and walked out of her room. Her worries seemed so far away this morning, it was wonderful. “Maybe I can meditate peacefully today,” she pondered aloud, a bit of dry humor in her voice as she started for the roof exit.

The purple-haired girl just reached the door to the roof when she paused, leaning to the opening as she spread her senses. “…Rith’s out there.” She smirked a bit. “He must already know I’m here then…” She opened the door, stepping out, and found herself drifting to a stop again, watching with intrigue as she found Rith with her eyes, her hand still lingering on the handle.

He stood in the center of the roof, his head tilted back, a smile on his lips, his expression warm, and his clothing and hair rippling powerfully up along his body, the air all around him distorted and shimmering in the morning sunlight from a clear sky. A great column of sound reached into the sky, never seeming to end. The boy looked content, completely happy where he was, almost blissful.

Abruptly, Raven felt as if she were intruding on something private, and started to withdraw, a subtle blush on her cheeks. She felt a waver in the column of sound before it completely died, and Rith looked down to her instantly. “Oh, Raven? I beg your pardon, is this when you meditate?” He was completely apologetic and sincere.

The young woman looked back to him, half closed in the door, and shook her head faintly. “No, no. I was going to, but you seemed quite content yourself.”

Rith seemed rather touched, but then gestured to the roof, drawing his hand behind himself as he held his staff in the other. “Thank you very much for saying so, but this is your home Raven. I would never block you from meditating.”

Raven did step out, letting the door close behind her, but she just walked up to him, a calmly interested expression on her pallid, soft face. “May I ask what you were doing, exactly?”

Apparently surprised she was curious, he took a moment to answer, a smile growing on his lips, “Enjoying the sounds around me. I sometimes play with them, try to make music with my ability.”

She tilted her head to the side. “You sure looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

He tipped his head to her. “And I’ve not seen you so happy since we’ve met.”

Raven blushed a bit, glancing down. “I’ve had a nice couple of days, thieves not withstanding.” Looking back up, she continued, “I was having bad dreams, but last night none came.”

“How lovely,” he replied in a softened, warm voice.

She noticed that he seemed almost wistful as he ‘looked’ at her, so she finally asked, “Is there a particular reason you like me so much?” If she could stop him from getting _too_ close in a friendly manner, it might be best.

Rith flicked an eyebrow higher, dry amusement turning his lips. “For one thing, you are very direct. I respect that in others.”

Her lips smiled a bit, but she remained calm and confident, crossing her arms. “It tends to grate on people as time goes on. I’m the ‘creepy’, ‘dark’ girl.”

He seemed curious. “Are you?”

Raven just raised an eyebrow at him. “You know what I look like.”

“Indeed, but you could be wearing electric pink for all I know. Hardly ‘dark’ or ‘creepy’. On the contrary, your voice is one of the most lovely sounds I’ve ever heard, very soft and soothing. And it shows me your lovely face so well. You’re a beautiful young woman, Raven.”

Her arms slipped down slowly, her blush quite hot on her cheeks as she blinked at him. She remembered Malchior and glanced down to the side self-consciously. “I think you’ve got my voice confused with Starfire’s or someone else’s.”

“Oh no,” he said softly, so sincere she looked to him thoughtfully, “I could never confuse your voice, Raven. …Sound lets me see the world, as you know,” he started quietly, his tone calm and explanatory, “but, of course, each sound is a little different. Some are harsh, others very subtle. The way they react with the world around them tailors how I sense them. And, always, dozens of sounds are berating everything at once, so it sometimes becomes quite confusing.”

Raven listened, unsure what point he was making.

“But you speak with such a soothing, gentle voice. It makes the world shimmer around you,” his tone became wistful once more. Raven was starting to blush again, only much more seriously. “Your voice makes everything beautiful, Raven, and when I see your face as you speak, I can scarcely think straight.”

She looked down, swallowing a bit as she calmed her jittering emotions. “…Rith, I appreciate the compliment, honestly,” she emphasized with a soft glance at his face, “but… I…”

He raised his hand, and she stopped, looking up at him. “I find you very beautiful, but I would never presume to seek a ‘close’ relationship, Raven. I know precious little about you, I can not properly help you as your friends can. I want to know more, but you seem so happy this morning that I can’t bare to bring up old hurts. I want you to be happy, whether that includes my presence in your life or not.”

Calmed and put at ease, though still blushing, Raven looked at him more carefully. “What did you want to ask me about?”

Rith smiled and shook his head. “They are your business, and I could only justify pursuing them if you were upset and could use a friendly ear. Please, enjoy your meditation. I shall not disturb you further.” He started to walk around her, his staff softly tapping off the cement roof.

Raven turned around. “Could you just tell me what you wanted to ask, and I can say whether I’ll answer or not?”

He paused, facing her again, with some surprise on his face. “If you wish, certainly, but I would hate to spoil your pleasant mood with my nosy curiosity.”

She looked down to the side, and then focused into his closed eyes. “There’s a lot I can’t talk about, stuff I have to deal with, but I’d rather you heard any of the other stuff from me than the others.”

Rith turned quite guilty, but it was calm and sincere, so Raven only became curious rather than worried. “Then I must apologize. Your friends were more loyal to you than I was. Yes, I learned of some events, but the two I had such conversations with asked me to wait and hear from you. I feel quite rude…” he looked down.

Raven smirked a bit. “Just tell me your questions. I’ll be direct, as usual, and tell you if I’ll answer or not.”

He tipped his head, and then seemed to consider. Knowing that the resurrected Slade had caused much of her current unhappiness, he would not raise it. However… “Forgive me if this is painful, but I wished to ask about the one named Malchior.”

Her eyes did flare a bit, but she remained calm. “How did you hear about him?”

Rith smiled a bit. “I swore not to say that.”

The girl’s expression turned dryly intrigued as her list of suspects shrank rapidly. “…Alright… It’s simple, honestly,” she started in a self-deprecating manner, looking down to the side. “He was trapped in a book I was reading, and I thought he cared for me. I trusted him, he was lying, and I nearly let him loose on the world. I learned that lesson,” she finished, looking up at the cloak-clad boy.

Rith’s expression became gravely sympathetic, Raven considering his emotions thoughtfully. He seemed almost heart-broken for her. “…He was the first one to tell you you were beautiful…”

“Yes,” she answered strongly, her positive mood from the morning helping put Malchior in more perspective. Rith, to her intrigue, seemed to melt under the weight of the information. “…Are you alright?” she finally asked.

He nodded. “Sorry, yes… I just… had no idea how stupid I was around you. I’m very sorry. I must have been digging at that since we met.”

Raven blinked, her eyebrows rising subtly. “You couldn’t have known. You were being polite, kind… to me,” she controlled her embarrassment. “It’s not your fault I don’t really trust it when someone calls me beautiful.”

“…No, that it’s not…” his voice was very low, and she could feel the controlled anger deep in his mind.

She hadn’t felt this side of him before. His darkness was more clear to her, his control less defined. He focused on her again.

“Sorry, I imagine that concerned you?”

“You knew I was sensing it?”

“You can infuse objects with your essence. I guessed you could sense emotion.”

Raven crossed her arms. “Are you hiding anything from us?”

“Only my temper,” he answered immediately, smiling a bit.

“Will it cause a problem?”

“No,” he answered simply. “Even if I had planned evil on your friends, Raven, I would do all in my power to avoid being another Malchior to you. Hurting someone like that is something I would not inflict on my worst enemy.”

Raven shook her head a bit, focusing on him. “Why are you so devoted to me, Rith? We’ve barely met.”

He smiled, bowing his head. “You have a very pure heart.”

Guilt etched through her features. “You’re so sure about that?”

Rith nodded, and spoke seriously, “We all have darkness in us, Raven. We can all choose good or evil. You have a dark power, Raven, yes, but how do you use it?”

She glanced down to the side. “…I’ve made some mistakes with it.”

“Are you evil?”

“No!” she emphatically answered, shocked he would ask such a question. She immediately calmed, dipping her head. Being so over-defensive was a bad exposure of what she was hiding.

“Fearing is not the same as being, Raven. Trust me when I tell you that your love for your friends is very real. You are a good, decent person. You discipline yourself because of a great power you never asked for, and wield that to help those weaker than yourself. I know this, because I feel it in every word you speak, every beat of your heart. I knew it from the first moment you spoke. You hurt deeply, because a good heart feels pain more than a dark one.”

Her expression had fractured, turning sorrowful as she stepped back slightly. She wanted what he said to be true, desperately so, but Slade… the message.

“You always have a choice, Raven.”

She eased, looking into his closed eyes.

“Always… A wrong path can be shifted, and a good path is hard to maintain, but the choice remains. There is no force that can violate the will. We can be manipulated, abused, or loved, cherished, affecting how we act, but we can not be controlled, we can not be made to do anything. You are who you are because of you, no one else. The good and the bad of your heart are your responsibility.” He smiled gently. “So please don’t despair. I can’t bear to see so much pain on your lovely face.”

Her blush returned, her mood lightening again, and she looked at him with mute shock. It was almost true the way he said it, she could almost believe Slade had just been a lying manipulator as he burned the runes into her skin. Somehow they could have stopped him, they just failed that time. She wouldn’t destroy the world. Raven closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I want to believe what you say…”

“But you’ve seen too much to the contrary in your own life?”

She focused on him again. “…You could put it like that.”

He bowed. “Perhaps, if I earn your trust, you can come to trust what I have said just now. I can only beg you not to think of yourself as doomed to darkness.” He straightened as she listened carefully. “If anyone tries to make fate more powerful than free will, there is a force that no power can withstand to fight it back.”

Raven’s brow softened. “What power?”

“Love,” he answered warmly, actually grinning. “Found in great friends and good hearts alike. You have both.”

Raven laughed a bit, his tone somehow catching her humor enough to cheer her up a little. “Thank you for saying so, Rith. I do appreciate that you… think that well of me.”

He bowed. “I only need to convince you of it now,” he said with a grin. Raven was still blushing, but shook her head at him in good humor. He softened his expression. “May I ask one further thing of more serious nature?”

She focused, calmed, and nodded. “Sure.”

“Do you know of any way I can show you I am not like Malchior? Any method with which I can put your heart at ease?”

Lavender eyes softened and widened a bit, Raven’s expression turning mildly numb. The hurt, the pain Malchior had caused her, her guilt for her foolishness, she felt them strongly again, seeing all the danger signs she had missed before. Her voice flowed out low, but emphatic, rich with emotion, but subtle with pain “…Please, never lie to me.”

Rith bowed gravely. “Then I swear to you, Raven, that I never will. I’ll do my best to maintain tact,” he allowed faint humor, “but for you I will answer any question and reveal anything within reason.”

Not sure exactly why her reaction was so powerful, Raven blushed as she pressed a hand to her sternum, trying to clear her tightening throat. “…Thank you, Rith…”

“Please, my dear lady, do not thank me yet. Wait until _you_ are confident I have fulfilled my oath.”

Recovering, she smirked a bit, turning mischievous. “…So who told you about Malchior?”

Rith gaped, sweat-dropping. “Now I have to apologize to him…” He sagged. “Beast Boy…”

“Did he mention anything else?”

Rith turned more serious, but answered, “Slade’s return, but he knows little. I wasn’t going to bring it up.”

Her expression did stiffen, but she managed a faint smile. “I’ll have to let him off this time…”

Rith raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“If he hadn’t, you and I wouldn’t have had this conversation… I’m glad we did,” she admitted gently, her soft voice washing across his ears.

“As am I,” Rith answered with another deep bow, quite sincere.

“And Rith?”

He rose as he looked at her curiously.

“…Thank you.” Her sincere tone and faintly tipped head told him exactly what she meant.

He smiled warmly, and picked up his staff to bow more properly this last time. “It is my oath.” Rising, he maintained his smile. “Enjoy your meditation, Raven.”

The young woman returned the gesture, her own more faint, but just as sincere. “Thank you, Rith.”

He simply tipped his head, and vanished through the door. Raven stood there a moment longer, and touched a hand to her chest, closing her eyes and exhaling as she let her head tip down. A deep pain had eased in her heart. Not healed, just eased, but she hadn’t realized how much it still hurt until part of it was gone. Slade, the message, and her father all seemed so far away…

* * *

Somewhere in the city, Red X dropped down onto a metal platform, computers and machines arrayed around its perimeter with catwalks leading off into an expansive warehouse around the central platform, stairwells leading down to other levels, a cement floor visible far below. A man in a gray suit with silver armor on his shoulders, forearms, and lower legs was hunched over one of the machines as if it were a microscope on a desk. His hair was spiky and gray, his face aged.

“I don’t appreciate being a red herring, Doc,” the thief said seriously.

Dr. Gear chuckled. “I paid you, didn’t I?”

“You can keep the other half, because I’m walkin’.”

Dr. Gear pressed a control on his right, and just as X lifted off the ground again, a field of gray energy engulfed him. Red X cried out, and fell to all-fours. Dr. Gear turned around as he stood up, smirking under his snide, dark green eyes. “I can’t have you blabbing about my plans, now can I? No, I think not, Mr. X.”

“ _Red_ X,” the thief emphasized darkly.

The scientist shrugged, turning back to his machine. “Whatever. Soon I’ll be finished, and not even the Teen Titans can stop me, yet alone that half-wit blind boy.”

“Doesn’t bother me, but I _will_ be checking out.”

Dr. Gear rounded on the thief, only to fall back with a shout of dismay as a blazing ‘X’ of red energy burst through the gray bubble-field, and the thief himself shot into the air, vanishing from sight. The scientist recovered, looking up, and shook his fist as the empty air. “You’ll regret doing that, Mr. X!”

On the roof, Red X touched his palm to a spot near the center of the large warehouse. “Not half as much as you will, Doc…” And he vanished once again.

* * *

Raven raised her hands, hood up, eyes glowing. “Azarath metrion zinthos…” she calmly uttered, and a soft wave of darkness rushed out of her, engulfing the whole control room before receding into the walls. She smirked a bit, nodding to Robin. The five Teen Titans were gathered near the kitchen, and the leader grinned, looking to the group after Raven was finished.

“We probably don’t have much time before he gets worried or curious, so here’s the deal. Raven and I decided we should give Rith a room, let him stay here if he wants… as a Titan.”

Cyborg grinned. “Well alright. I’m down.” He gave a thumbs up.

“Awesome!” Beast Boy hopped up with a fist to the air. “Yeah, I’m totally with it!”

Starfire hopped up and down joyfully. “I, too, am most pleased to let Rith join us!”

Smiling still, Robin tipped his head. “Then it’s decided. We’ll start setting it up as soon as we can, but we need him out of the tower to keep it a surprise for as long as we can.”

Everyone looked at Raven, who blinked. “W-wait a second…”

Cyborg leaned at her, grinning, and spoke in a building tone, “You’re the only one that can get him out of the tower for long enough, Ray…”

Starfire flushed with glee, hovering near her darkly dressed friend. “Oh yes. Rith would be most happy to follow you anywhere!”

A knock came to the control room doors, and Rith’s voice came through, muffled naturally. “Not to be intrusive, but I just wanted to make sure nothing has gone wrong in here… Confidential meeting then? I’ll stay out, I just want to make sure nothing’s wrong.” He sounded a bit pitiful, though sincere.

Whispering, everyone grinned at Raven, and rushed to the door. The purple-haired girl twitched, her hands reaching to grab someone, but finally she just gritted her teeth and glowered silently, anger-marks throbbing on her temples. “…Fine…” She also relaxed her control, the darkness flushing out of the walls and rushing back into her.

Starfire let the doors rush open, and Rith jerked back as four of the Titans stood grinning at him. Robin started, “Hi, Rith!”

Starfire continued, “Nothing at all is wrong!”

“We were just testing a new sonic weapon I’ve been working with. I’ll show it to ya later!” Cyborg added.

Beast Boy nodded rapidly with the others. “And we think you’ll get a kick out of it.”

Rith was comically disturbed, one eyebrow high, face angled, body still leaning back as if threatened by wild animals. “…If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was some kind of birthday party thing… but you don’t know when my birthday is…”

Starfire shot closer, almost making him fold into the ground as she leaned over him, nose-to-nose. “Oh, may we know?! The preparations for such splendid occasions are such fun!”

Rith laughed nervously, sweat-dropped. “But I always get awkward when people throw me a party…”

Raven pushed through the others. “Don’t worry about it,” she told him as Starfire drifted back, giving Raven a huge wink, which only made Rith more puzzled. Raven grew almost evilly dismal, and then moved up, pulling Rith along by the arm with both hands. The boy blushed, almost stumbling along after her. “Come on, I’d like to show you the café I visit sometimes. I haven’t been there in a while, but…”

The others were stifling laughs, giggles, or grinning with evil delight as they watched Raven drag the oblivious young man off with her. Starfire whispered, hoping Rith wouldn’t be paying enough attention to hear, “I think Raven likes him, too!”

“Ya think?” Beast Boy started. “I haven’t seen her this chilled out since… well… ever!”

Robin was smiling confidently. “I know. Now once we’re sure they’re gone, we’ll get to work. Ready everyone?”

Agreed, they hurried further into the tower.

* * *

Rith was in complete and sincere shock, Raven’s hands calmly but securely holding onto his arm. His blush refused to go away, because he couldn’t get his mind off of how soft her hands were, and how close she was as a result. Once they stepped out of the tower, she let go of his arm, and he started to regain some of his faculties. She pulled her hood up, turning to him. “Let’s fly, it’s just faster. And we don’t have to go to my café if that sounds boring.”

He couldn’t help but hesitate. “…Why are you doing this…?”

Raven paused, a bit distracted by her own aggravation with being pushed into this, and realized how completely nervous he was. His anxiety was practically pouring off him, and she could see the soft blush still on his cheeks, right up into the first signs of scarring near his eyes. “You don’t want to?” she said in a manner calm and serious. Manipulating his possible crush felt a bit mean to her privately, but she didn’t want to give away too much.

His head shivered rapidly with a, “N-no, not at all. I just… I…” He swallowed. “Lead the way.”

Raven tipped her head, and took flight. Rith rose after her, and followed her swift rush to the city, sweeping through a few buildings, moving toward the heart of the sky-scraper forest. She smoothly dropped down, Rith landing quietly behind her, just outside a dark, obviously gothic-themed café on the corner. A message board advertised poetry recitations with actual plastic letters… the only reason Rith could make it out.

“Come on,” Raven urged with her usual dry tone, pulling her hood down and nodding to the door.

Rith followed her silently, absorbing the information he could gather, and caught the door from her waiting hand as he passed inside the building. Only a handful of people were chatting quietly around tables scattered through the café, a counter on the back left, and a small stage at the back right.

His beautiful guide walked back, near the stage, and took a small booth, with room for little more than three people. Rith followed, and slipped in opposite her, setting his staff against the outer side. Raven gave him a dry smirk. “Would you like me to get you a drink?”

He shook his head rapidly. “N-no… thank you.” He cleared his throat, and gestured to the stage. “Do you ever recite here?”

She seemed puzzled, but then remembered the sign outside had physical shapes rather than just lettering on a flat surface. “…Sometimes. I haven’t recently.” She privately rolled her eyes as she realized she’d repeated herself. Obviously she hadn’t recited anything if she hadn’t been here in a while. Changing the subject, she leaned onto the table. “Is this part of the city uncomfortably noisy for you? I always thought this place was quiet, but my ears have the advantage of limitations.”

Rith smiled gently, calming finally. “Oh it’s fine, thank you. It is a subtle place, lends itself to thinking…”

Raven leaned back a bit. “…I always thought so,” she admitted, affected by the agreement more than she let on. After his oath to her, she was having a hard time not slipping into an ‘acceptance’ of his obvious affection. _Did they_ have _to push me into doing this? Agreeing that he could be a great team member is one thing, taking him out on a…!_ her blush flared abruptly before she could even let herself think the word ‘date’.

Her companion noticed, however. “…Did I say something wrong?”

She quickly looked down, closing her eyes with a calming breath. “No, sorry. I remembered something embarrassing. A poem I recited badly…” she tried to cover her tracks, but was only getting more flustered by feeling guilty for lying to him.

Rith couldn’t resist a smirk. “Don’t worry. My oath only applies one way.”

She looked up at him softly, apologetic already. “…I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be. I said don’t worry.”

Raven was only growing more appreciative of his accepting manner. It helped smooth over her mistakes, which was something on which she did not want to fixate. “Wait here,” she began anew, setting her hands on the table. “They make good tea here, I’ll order us some.”

Rith gestured for her to wait. “I can pay for mine…”

She shook her head a bit, managing a little smile. Her footsteps revealed the café to him, her cloak lapping gently against her legs. He let his face angle toward the table, listening to the city through the walls of the building, letting his focus rest on Raven herself this time as she ordered their drinks. There was a certain calm and peace she had lacked before, she was starting to relax, if only a little.

Returning, Raven placed a cup in front of him, and sat down with hers in both hands, taking a sip as he did.

“Mm, very good indeed,” he agreed with a soft nod.

She nodded back. “…I didn’t really think about it before, but does it offend you for others to look at your eyes? I’m not sure where else to focus.”

His smile warmed. “A very kind consideration, but don’t worry about it. It is very hard to focus somewhere else, and it would be selfish to expect everyone to change the usual polite rules for me. I wish I could look you back in the eyes directly, however. I feel like I’m the rude one.”

The pale girl smirked a bit. “Doesn’t bother me.” She watched him tip his head, and she sat back, eyeing him thoughtfully. She needed to buy the others more time, but it was also a great opportunity to learn more about him, especially if he was going to be a member of the team. “You’re very mature for your age… or are you older than you look?”

Rith chuckled subtly. “I’m a boy, about the same age as the rest of you, yes. I’ve simply been on my own for a long time.”

Her brow creased faintly. “No parents?”

He just shook his head and she didn’t want to push the matter further. “You said you don’t sleep very often, but do you dream during your meditations?”

“Sometimes, for sleep and dreams each.” He sipped his tea, smiling at it before resting it back on the table.

“If you want to keep it private, I won’t hold you to your oath,” she started gently, “but I was wondering what you dream about?”

He turned serious, but not obviously upset. “I appreciate the allowance, but I want you to trust my oath. …I prefer to avoid dreaming, because mine are usually nightmares.” He didn’t seem very disturbed by the idea, simply calm and matter-of-fact.

Raven allowed faint concern to show on her face. “What kind?”

Rith smirked a bit. “I think a common kind for those with real power over others. I _am_ the monster in my nightmares…”

Intrigued, she tilted her head faintly. “What do you mean, exactly?”

“You said yourself, I wield quite a bit of power. I’m very aware of that. In my dreams, the fear of losing control, or being actively malicious create very vivid, disturbing stories. Sometimes I’m just a monster, destroying everything around me, other times I simply can’t control myself, and… good people get hurt. I can always tell they’re dreams, but it’s the ideas themselves. I’m glad, really, they keep me aware of my responsibility. I’m not superior to anyone, but I do have a power that can affect them. I must control that power, and, most likely, I should use it for their benefit.”

The notion of Rith as a kindred spirit flared in Raven’s mind, but she quickly quelled it. It would just get messy if a relationship issue formed between them. “You’re so sure about your control?”

He shook his head, frowning lightly. “Not at all, otherwise I wouldn’t have the nightmares. But I take responsibility, and do everything I can to control my power. Like you, Raven.”

Her eyes tightened. “I’m not the best example of self-discipline…”

“I didn’t say that. You are, however, a very good person, a loving friend to your team-mates. You have disciplined yourself immensely, for your benefit, yes, but also for theirs. You fear hurting them very much.”

Raven looked down. “It’s that obvious?”

“For one who knows how to look, yes. You’re very sincere, Raven, but you have responsibilities your friends don’t have. Likewise, they must deal with aspects of themselves you will never have to face or feel threatened by. By looking to each other for help, trusting and loving your friends, you grow stronger, more disciplined, more happy.” He smiled. “Would you give up one moment of your time with your friends?”

She shook her head instantly. “Of course not. They’re my friends.”

“And you’re still so worried you’ll hurt them out of your own volition?”

Again, she looked down to the side. “I do… but that’s not all of it.”

“Ah,” he exhaled knowingly, and took a sip of his tea as she looked to him. Remembering her own, she sipped, using it as a chance to hide her curiosity. He continued regardless, “You still fear fate, of course, but we’ve spoken about that before.” The boy’s calm smile was strangely relaxing for her as she looked at him.

“Are you so sure fate doesn’t exist?”

“I don’t know anything about fate. I do know that we always have a choice. If anything takes that choice away, it can’t hold for very long.” Rith tilted his head to the side, ‘looking’ at her frankly. “In truth, the only way we can lose our freedom, is by giving it up.”

Her anger flared, obvious in her sharpened expression. “Are you saying I want to let someone make me hurt my friends?”

He simply shook his head. “I’m saying you shouldn’t let anyone convince you they have control over you. If someone is manipulating me, they may have acted in a way that caused reactions from me, but I can choose to react differently. Regarding fate,” he continued, seeing her calm with an apologetic expression, “I think it may exist, to a degree. Perhaps we are fated to meet certain challenges in life, certain obstacles. Once we face them, however, it is up to us how we respond. Do we fight, struggle, contest? Or cave in, fall away, be defeated?”

“What if you try and fail?” Raven continued quietly, her voice harrowed with the pain that formed when Slade held her on the charred rooftop, showing her the ruined world… ruined by _her_.

“You keep trying,” he answered with slow, powerful honesty. “Or do you think you’d let your friends die for your inaction?”

Her tea-cup shattered with a flash of darkness, and she jerked back, her hands scalded from the hot liquid. Rith was gone from the table before she could even react, and came back with napkins, cleaning up the tea swiftly, sweeping the pieces of her cup to the edge of the table for easier pick-up later, and slid his own tea back to her hands. Raven slowly wrapped her fingers around the cup, looking down at it rigidly.

He smiled kindly, taking responsibility when someone came to take the shattered pieces of the cup, giving some money to cover the cost. Looking to Raven as the person left, he leaned toward her, and let his voice reach her ears with unnatural softness. “You just answered.”

Raven looked up at him abruptly, her expression unusually emotional. Fear and anxiety mixed with despair and a faint flicker of hope. “…What if I can’t stop it?”

The blind boy paused, seeming to consider his response carefully, and then slowly reached out. Raven let him pull one of her hands into both of his own, a faint blush on her cheeks as she watched him softly cradle the back of her hand while curling her fingers over her own palm with his other, just holding her soft fist as he looked at her. She looked into his sealed eyes. “You will find a way, Raven. You love your friends far too much for _any_ power to turn you against them… even your own,” he added poignantly, his voice again powerful, soft, and honest.

Her lavender eyes fell shut as tears threatened to drip from her eyelashes. A tear dripped down as she opened them to see him again, and he gently pushed her hand back to her cup, placing it perfectly for her, and drawing back to his side of the table. Not sure why she was telling him, she started to speak quietly, “…Slade… put the markings on me… the ones you saw during the battle…” Her face grew hollow. “I’m supposed to do something very bad… I was born to do it… and we couldn’t stop Slade from delivering the message.”

Rith leaned a little closer, so that she could focus on him completely. His sympathy welled up in his chest as he felt her expression, so desperate for hope for escape from the fate she was forced to accept. “No one can control your destiny, Raven. I don’t doubt the facts, I don’t know the situation of your birth, but any motive beyond welcoming a new life has no bearing on how you live yours. Someone may think otherwise… and you will prove him wrong.”

Her head bowed, tears dripping from her eyes. “What if I can’t…?”

“You _can_ ,” his voice rushed past her ears, and she looked up at him with a soft start, “but you are the one that has to realize that. You must trust that you are good, though capable of wrong, trust that you love your friends too much to hurt any of them, to hurt anyone, or you may very well fail. I’m not trying to make you feel better Raven, I’m telling you the truth.”

She turned grave, calming her sorrow, and looked at him resolutely. “…I may be hiding something horrible inside me, Rith. Something you can’t see.”

“We all have demons in our minds, Raven. I know you can overcome yours. You are not a monster.” He tilted his head down, smiling gently. “You’re a very beautiful, caring young woman.” He smirked a bit, “You just have a dark sense of humor, too.”

It let Raven laugh a bit, relaxing her emotions a great deal almost immediately. Looking at him, she asked with light sincerity, “You really think so?”

“I promised I would never lie to you, didn’t I?” he answered in kind, freely smiling at her.

Raven closed her eyes and exhaled, letting the idea soak into her mind. The horrible weight on her heart eased a bit, she could actually imagine overcoming Slade, defeating her destiny, but she knew it would take more than that to actually pull it off. Opening her eyes, she managed a soft smile again. “…Thank you, Rith.” Her cloak-clasp blinking startled her, Rith not sure what had happened as it generated no sound. “My signal is blinking. Let’s get back to the tower,” she explained, calm as usual while rising from the booth.

Rith rose with her, retrieving his staff. “Think it’s some kind of trouble?”

She let herself smile a little. “I’m not sure. Come on.”

* * *

In the tower, Rith followed Raven, again rather perplexed as when he’d left to go with her initially. Her presence was more than enough to keep his attention distracted from the rest of the tower, so the plan had worked out quite well. She came to a stop outside one of the doors in the hall, and smiled at him, gesturing. “Go inside.”

A bit caught, he obeyed, and let the doors hiss open for him. He actually jumped a bit, quickly smiling as Cyborg, Starfire, Robin, and Beast Boy all yelled ‘surprise!’, standing in the middle of a newly furnished room filled with comfortable chairs, a large bed, shelves of interesting sculptures, and a nice window in the back wall. Raven stepped in behind him, arms crossed and smiling.

Rith’s jaw hung open. “Wait… you mean…?”

Robin stepped forward, holding a Titan communicator in his palm. “That’s right. We’ve talked it over, and we think it’d be our good fortune if you chose to stay here, as a Teen Titan. I know what you and I talked about, so the offer stays on the table until you make your own choice, but, at least until Dr. Gear is dealt with, please consider yourself part of the team.”

Rith took the control softly, obviously in shock, and then smiled, looking back up to the group, Raven coming around to face him with the others. “T…” his voice gave out, and he bowed his head to collect himself. Starfire sympathetically cooed. “Thank you very much… I’m not sure what to say…”

Beast Boy leapt up and down. “Say you’ll stay, man! We had to blitz to get this room finished while you and Raven were out.”

Rith laughed gently. “I was wondering about that.”

Raven directed her eyes anywhere but Rith, a subtle blush warming the air above her cheeks. She knew he knew she had seen more in it than just stalling for time.

The blind boy held the Titan communicator in his hand, and looked to the team. “So long as I’m welcome… I’ll be a Teen Titan.”

Raven sincerely smiled, Beast Boy, Star, and Cyborg erupted with cheers, and Robin offered his hand. “Welcome to the team, Titan.”

Rith shook it firmly. “Thank you very much.”


	7. Ultra-Gear

Things had settled back into near routine by the next morning. After practice where Cyborg lifted immense weights, Beast Boy ‘jogged’ as various animals, Starfire practiced her aerial maneuvers, Raven practiced swirling objects around herself, Robin shadow-boxed with his staff, and Rith focused sounds at various frequencies as the computer modulated them, they all went to enjoy their morning.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were shouting and exclaiming at the video-game they were playing, Raven was idly tuning everything out as she read one of her books on the couch off to the side, Rith worked on the breakfast dishes (claiming them to be part of his duties now that he was a Titan), and Starfire and Robin discussed the meaning of a ‘penny for your thoughts’.

“Hey, Raven!” Beast Boy called as one of their games ended. She looked up blandly, and he continued, “Wanna come play me? Pleeeeease?”

She soured, frowning. “I don’t _play_ video-games, Beast Boy. We’ve established this.”

His hopes un-dashed, the green boy continued, “Doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind!”

Cyborg leaned back in his seat, putting his hands behind his head. “You should leave ‘er alone, B. At this rate you’re just gonna make her zap you through the wall.”

Rith smirked a bit. “Just out of curiosity, Beast Boy, would you be willing to meditate with Raven if she did?”

Raven sweat-dropped, imagining giving Beast Boy lessons every other second on maintaining posture and controlling his mind against distractions. Beast Boy himself cringed, sinking behind the couch under Rith’s non-gaze. “Uh… well…”

“Then is it really fair to ask her to play games with you?”

Cyborg grinned. Robin added, “He’s got a point, Beast Boy… It’s not like Raven would think to ask, but if you’re not willing to do her thing, she shouldn’t be asked to do yours.”

“But she’s the only one that doesn’t play… aside from Rith…” he managed awkwardly, not wanting to go further down the path he’d stumbled across, meekly hiding behind the couch again. Rith just chuckled to himself.

Raven rolled her eyes and focused back on her book.

Rith simply added, “Not everyone plays games the same way you do, Beast Boy.” Setting the last dish down, he smirked, resting his hands on the counter. “Want to play a non-computer game with me?”

Beast Boy was intrigued, as were the others, even Raven though she hid it with her book, and he hopped over the couch. “Sure, what’s the game?”

“I’ll make an animal’s sound, you have to mimic it.”

Beast Boy grinned. “Aw, yeah! I’ll nail this one to the wall, baby!” He leapt in front of Rith, still grinning, and struck a pose. “Let’s do it!”

As the others watched with amusement, Raven piquing an eyebrow and peeking over her book, Rith cleared his throat, creased his brow a bit, and a sharp squawk sounded. Beast Boy pondered, grinned again, and flipped over into the form of a parrot, squawking right back. Rith tipped his head. “Score one for Beast Boy. Now try this…” An odd trill descended to a sharp stop.

Beast Boy blanched, then eyed Rith sidelong, and finally smiled again. He leapt up, shrank considerably, and landed as a cricket, trilling right off. Rith announced the point, and they continued. After three more animals, Starfire giggled, and flew to Rith, making a whispered request. He seemed intrigued, nodded, and a warped, whooping honk sounded.

At this Beast Boy twitched. He could turn into any animal, yes, but actually remembering millions of species and how they sounded was something else entirely. “…I’m stumped…”

Rith grinned. “Lemur. Score one for me.”

Beast Boy fell over, pounding his head with his fist. “I should’ve known that one!”

Soon Robin and Cyborg started chipping in. Starfire and Robin suggested animals to mimic to Rith, and Beast Boy and Cyborg discussed the answer together quietly, forming teams. Soon they were laughing together as either Rith or Beast Boy started making mistakes, one lion’s roar getting warped into as squeak when Starfire hopped for joy, startling Rith. All of this Raven monitored somewhat as she read her book, peeking up every few moments.

Cyborg finally called over to her. “Hey, Raven, come join Beast Boy and I’s team! We’re outnumbered!”

Starfire floated as if she was hopping up and down with excitement. “Oh yes, please join in the wonderful animal-calling game of noise and silliness!”

Raven exhaled, still reading. “I’m glad you guys are having fun, but guessing what’s what based on loud noises that just make my head rattle isn’t my idea of a good time.”

Beast Boy knelt down, raising clasped hands. “Please, Raven? He’s coming up with some really tough ones now! Look at the score!”

Starfire zipped up to a massive board that appeared out of nowhere, showing numerous marks on either team’s side, Rith’s side just leading.

Raven sighed, snapped her book shut, and stared at them. Everyone waited in trepidation before she finally smirked, stood up, and walked over to Beast Boy and Cyborg, accompanied by cheering and welcomes from her friends. Rith grinned. “An easier one to start off for the new team-member.” He cleared his throat, and a clear, low bird-call screeched out, repeating a double-call twice.

Everyone started smiling or grinning, even Raven as she crossed arms with a dry stare at Rith. “Very cute.”

Beast Boy leapt up, warped into a raven, squawked right back. “A raven!” everyone chorused, Raven actually laughing a bit, blushing softly under the attention.

A few minutes later, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven were in a huddle. “I think it’s a turtle,” the shape-shifter said himself, seriously.

Raven rolled her eyes. “You thought it was a turtle the last three times…”

“So maybe he’s just trying to mix me up, and this time it _is_ a turtle!”

Cyborg pointed out, “You said that the last _two_ times.”

Glowering, the green boy finally asked, “Well what do you two think?”

“Armadillo,” Raven answered calmly.

“Gecko.”

Raven glowered. “It was a voice-less croak, not a soundless yap!”

Before they broke into a cloud of fighting, Rith called over. “Stumped?”

They abruptly calmed, Raven and Cyborg standing behind as Beast Boy cleared his throat, and warped into an armadillo, squeaking a bit.

Rith grinned. “Very good, armadillo it was.”

Starfire scratched another mark on the scoreboard. “And it is a tie! Forty to forty! Glorious! This is such fun!”

Robin laughed. “Seriously, we should do this again soon.”

Rith relaxed, and Raven could tell he was a bit relieved the game was over. Making such specific sounds out of nowhere likely drained him quite a bit.

Unfortunately, the trouble alert filled the tower the next instant, and Robin shot to the console as the others quickly prepared themselves. Robin punched it up, and looked to his team. “Looks like another warehouse has an intruder. Let’s do it, Titans.”

Raven and Starfire took flight, the boys running after them as they all left the tower. Starfire flew closer to the darker girl, grinning despite the situation. “Did you not have fun, Raven?”

The lavender-eyed girl offered a faint smile under her shadowed eyes. “Yes, I did, Starfire… Thanks.”

“Most welcome, friend! Now let us go kick the butt!”

Raven laughed a bit. “Let’s.”

* * *

Heavy mechanical doors slid open to either side, and the Teen Titans moved in carefully. Raven and Starfire floated behind and above the others, Robin standing at the front, he and Rith with staffs out and ready. Their shoes were just clanking off of metal flooring in the darkened warehouse when the lights snapped on with a rush to the far end of the truly cavernous building.

“Someone was waiting for us,” Raven commented ominously, her cloak rippling around her body.

They were standing on a wide catwalk, which led all the way to the central platform-column, myriad other catwalks radiating out from the various levels, sometimes crossing each other on their way to the outer walls. Entering from ground level of the hundred-meter high building only put them in the middle of its true height, as its basement descended just as far down, leaving a massive, rectangular space filled with catwalks, cement, and a few computers.

Before they moved forward, Rith quickly explained, “I sense another army of his machines below us, on the bottom level, and he’s-!”

The blind young man was cut off by two firm footfalls planting on a cross-catwalk above and several meters ahead of them. Dr. Gear stood with his hands on his hips, wearing a full, close-fitting, silvery robotic suit, only his head bare. “Right here.” He grinned with his snide tone. “I knew I’d run into you lot sooner or later, but all of you coming together is a bonus. I’ll get to deal with all of you at once.”

Cyborg activated his cannon and aimed. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

Gear laughed. “That archaic toy can’t hurt me, Cyborg. I’m wearing the cutting edge, my latest design, spared no expense… or theft.”

Robin’s brow creased. “We stopped all of your machines, Adonis, and Red X.”

“Most of them were just decoys, boy!” Gear shouted back, both triumphant and angry, obviously impatient for some reason. “And that lovely machine you wrecked had another inside it, waiting for you to drop your guard or just leave. The latter was the case. I only needed one component from this city, but I knew what Rith would suspect, so I decided to turn that to my advantage.”

Rith’s brow creased firmly. He’d led his new friends on a wild goose-chase. “…I’m sorry.”

Beast Boy stepped forward. “Don’t worry about it, they were wrecking things anyway.”

Robin flicked his staff forward, dropping into a stance. “Nice new toys then, but you’re still going down.”

Gear grinned, raising his fists as white power crackled out of them, forming perfect spheres at the edges of the shivering lattices of light. “You really shouldn’t be so confident. Attack, my legions!” he roared, almost folding over as he rammed his fists forward and robotic humanoids leapt into the air, arcing along the walls and down toward the Titans from either side of the Doctor. Beams, like pillars of the same power around his fists, shot away from his arms, three meters thick each.

“Titans, GO!” Robin shouted, and dashed off, tearing a droid in half with a swipe of his staff.

The Titans shot in, Raven grabbing a few airborne droids with her soulself, rocketing them through their ranks, destroying dozens. Beast Boy spun into a stegosaurus, his tail blasting several ranks to pieces, while Cyborg ran right in, cannon blazing. Starfire raked the catwalk with her eye-beams, snapping bolts into droids that leapt at her from various directions as the whole team moved further toward the doctor. Rith himself flickered through a few droids, letting them fall apart in his wake, and just as Gear fired blasts at Raven and Starfire, forcing them to dodge, the blind boy shot into the air, spinning down at Gear with his staff.

Gear rushed back into a blurred series of hand-foot flips down a central catwalk directly above the large one the other Titans were still using. Rith’s staff smashed into the cross-walk where the doctor had been standing. The blind Titan looked up with a creased brow, obviously troubled by Gear’s ability to move so swiftly and skillfully.

Laughing, Gear let power skitter off his fists again, charging the spheres with more energy. “You’re no match for me now, boy. I’ve learned my lessons from you.”

“Obviously none of the right ones,” Rith muttered, and sprinted to meet him.

Moving with incredible speed, Gear met Rith with swiping spheres of power around his fists, leaving energized streaks through the air. Rith narrowly yanked his body out of the paths of several attacks, finally ramming the left end of his staff into the doctor’s chest. Gear shouted in dismay more than pain, and skidded back, finally reaching the central column, the top level some meters above still. Gear chuckled, and back-flipped straight up onto the top level of the central column, forcing Rith to leap up after him.

The other Titans were being kept busy by the endless legions of androids. Robin decapitated a few with a spin-swipe of his staff, snapping his free hand out to blow a handful more up with his bomb-discs. Cyborg fired a blast through a full rank of them, and then shot his left hand off on its extendable chord, grabbing the shoulder of a distant droid before he whipped sideways, slicing dozens apart with the cord and slamming the one he’d grabbed to pieces against the flooring of the main catwalk. Dozens more sprang onto the platform as he retracted his hand, firing at another few leaping off the walls with Starfire on the right. “They just keep coming!”

Beast Boy had taken the form of a great gorilla, smashing the robots to pieces as they tried to attack him. Starfire focused from blowing airborne robots to pieces, and raked down another rank with her eye-beam, melting several in half. Raven rushed back, sending black crescents through dozens, slicing them apart, but her patience was wearing thin. She saw Rith fighting Dr. Gear on the main platform in the center, staff and glowing fists flickering through each other, and worried for their new comrade’s safety.

Looking up, the dark girl saw robots crawling along the wall above and behind them on the left. Her brow creased, and she flew to the edge of the wall, near the entrance. “Climb on this!” She shouted her incantation just as she flipped over and landed on the wall, planting her hands to the surface. Waves of soulself flitted through the wall, revealing support girders, piping, and wires just before they erupted out of the wall, ripping into the robots in a concentric wave along the surface, emanating from Raven. Robot parts rained down like a storm to the cement far below.

“Great work, Raven!” Robin called back to her, spinning into another rank of droids on the central catwalk, where hundreds more remained.

Raven flew down to the catwalk with the others. “But we’re still outnumbered…” She looked to her left, focusing on one of the narrower catwalks, and sharpened her eyes thoughtfully. Three robots leapt at her from below, and she flowed back, her hands sweeping out with streaks of shadow to deflect their blows before she simply snapped her legs apart and jerked her palms forward where she stood, a dome-wave ramming them to pieces. She hurried back to the left side of the catwalk, her eyes blazing with power as she aimed her hands at the next, narrow catwalk on their level. “Azarath metrion _ZINTHOS_!” Darkness engulfed the entire catwalk, rushing from the center to either end, which abruptly snapped free, small parts flying off.

Turning her glowing eyes to see the others fending off the bulk of the army on the wide catwalk, she braced, gritting her teeth. “DODGE!”

Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, who quickly reverted to normal, and Starfire all looked to Raven, and saw the entire catwalk to their left spin into a massive disc-blade with widened eyes. The boys hit the deck as Starfire zipped upward with a soft ‘eep!’, Raven swinging the massive hulk of metal right across the main catwalk, like a tremendous buzz-saw. Roaring wind and shattering metal filled the warehouse, the catwalk spinning off as the darkness released it, shattering against the far right wall. The android army that remained on the catwalk was little more than standing legs sparking at exposed waists, which rapidly began to topple over. Now there were only scattered handfuls of droids around the various catwalks, and they were starting to leap in at the Titans in a last-ditch effort to stop them. Sonic beams, blast-discs, and star-bolts annihilated most of them, Beast Boy using his T-Rex form to bite any stragglers that landed to pieces.

Robin started running for the central column. “Let’s go, Titans. Rith needs some back up!”

The team continued to fend off the occasional robot as they all hurried to Gear and Rith, Raven accelerating to help their new friend with controlled concern.

On the central platform itself, Rith ducked another charged swipe of Gear’s left fist, only forced to retreat from another from the right hand. “What happened to you, doctor? You wanted to help people, let them make a life for themselves with what they had. Why do all this?”

Gear grinned, and unleashed a two-fisted bolt. Rith dove to his left, narrowly avoiding the five-meter wide column of destruction that left a perfect hole in the railing and a few computers at the edge of the platform. “Why? Because I finally have enough power to get respect.”

Rith surprised him with speed, and the staff locked with glowing hands, the two facing off, Gear leaning over the shorter boy. “People only respect power when they want it for themselves… Kindness is a much greater power, Doctor Gear. You had that power.”

Gear hesitated, Rith sensing it, and eased slightly with his staff.

“…I suppose you’re right, Rith…” He sounded very haggard, tired.

The hands let go, and Rith lowered his staff, smiling a bit.

“I seem to have lost track of my goals…” he looked off. “Why did I do this…?”

The other Titans had just started rushing to help Rith, Gear seeing his droids fly apart from Raven’s massive spell with her soulself. Abruptly his hand shot out, and grabbed Rith by the back of the neck. Rith shouted in pain as energy scattered over his body, his staff clattering to the floor. “Oh yes, I remember,” Gear started with darkly calm satisfaction, letting Rith fall to his knees, holding his head in his hands with a pained grimace. “I was never there to help anyone, child. The philanthropist goal just let me get past the towns’ defenses. I’ve been planning this army for decades. Do you think I’d let a brat like you ruin that?” He kicked Rith onto his back, and planted his foot on the boy’s chest, shocking Rith painfully again, making him cry out.

“Rith!”

Gear looked up, and took a dark claw to his chest, sending him flying off. He narrowly caught the far railing, and pulled himself back onto the platform as Raven rushed down, landing beside the blind boy, who was barely conscious from being shocked. Gear started to aim his arms, but Raven aimed one hand at Rith, another at the doctor, and her soulself raised Rith off the ground and wrapped around Gear’s forearms. The doctor blinked, and then yelped as he was thrown into another computer with a sharp jerk of Raven’s left hand. She came closer to Rith as he floated in her power. “Let’s get you out of here…” she said, faint sympathy clear even in her controlled battle-façade.

Picking himself out of the ruined computer, Gear growled, his fists charging as Raven looked back at him. Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire dropped onto the platform the next second, all braced and ready for action. Robin tilted his head down darkly. “Just try it, Doctor…”

Gear grinned, and his feet spread before energy crackled through the entire central column. It caught everyone but Starfire, Raven and the others shouting in pain, even Cyborg falling to his knees. The alien girl took a blast of Gear’s power straight on, caught glancing down to her friends. She flew back, and crumpled to the main catwalk, groaning and holding her head.

The doctor slowly walked toward Raven and Rith, all of them stunned and numb, finding it difficult to move. Unknown to the others, Rith’s shivering hand found his staff, the fingers slowly closing around it at the edge.

Gear leaned down to Raven, who was on all fours, barely upright, her eyes glowering weakly at him. He smirked. “You’ve got spirit, girl. The way you wiped out my army single-handedly was most impressive. I don’t suppose I could make you an offer?”

It took a great deal of effort to work her jaw. “I…don’t work… for creeps… like you…”

Gear frowned. “Pity.” Then he grinned maliciously, raising his charged left fist. “Good night, child.”

A distorted, almost feral roar, which made Raven instinctively think of Beast Boy, rushed across their ears, and she watched a wooden staff slam into Gear’s chest, Rith on the right end of it, his expression fierce and focused as his hair pulsed behind his head. Gear’s suit actually fractured across the chest, his limbs pitching forward, and he flew back, slamming into the railing. Rith sagged down to all fours beside and a little ahead of Raven. Her soulself had protected him from the second shock along the ground, but he was still reeling from the two Gear had given him specifically.

Enraged, Gear reared up, holding one hand to his sparking chest, and started stomping toward Rith. “You wretched brat! I’ll tear you a-!” he looked up in alarm as a deafening boom sounded. A red ‘X’ ripped through the central roof, and soon the entire ceiling was crashing down. “NO!”

On a distant rooftop, Red X let his thumb away from a small remote device. “See you around, Doc…” And he vanished.

Starfire had recovered quickly, and flew up to the others as the ceiling started crashing down.

“We have to… run!” Robin managed, but could barely stand.

Gear sparked with power as Raven looked up with alarm. They were all too weak from the shock to get out, and Starfire could maybe carry one of them.

“I’ll get you for this, X!” the doctor roared, blasting a few large chunks of falling debris with his powers.

“Gotta… get going…” Cyborg strained, his cannon straining to activate as the entire warehouse shook.

Rith tried to stand, vague distortions forming around him, but he just fell back to his knees with a weak gasp. Raven looked at him, and then to her friends, Starfire trying to help Cyborg up, but barely standing herself. Raven focused on Gear, and her expression firmed. “I have a choice…”

Her eyes blazed, and Raven screamed, rising to her feet as power erupted from her body, shocking everyone present. A blasting wave of her soulself engulfed the warehouse for a heart-beat, and then focused on the falling debris. She snapped her hands upright together, a sphere of dark power focusing around them, and the Titans and Gear watched the debris flow around the central column, shattering down through catwalks, the few remaining robots, and computers everywhere.

Rith looked up as much as he could, sensing her shivering body, gritted teeth, and blazing power. She was on the verge of complete collapse herself, but had found the power to control an entire building, a massive one at that. “…Raven,” he whispered in awe and fear, gravely worried for her.

Gear roared, and charged at Raven, energy crackling over his body. Rith focused darkly on him, and slammed himself forward, tripping the doctor onto his front with a thud. Raven looked down as Starfire charged a star-bolt while she helped Cyborg stand, both girls’ glowing eyes focusing on Gear with dark determination. Gear looked up, and then focused on Rith back near his legs. “You little-UGH!”

A black claw slammed him off the ground, grabbing him around the torso, and drove him to the far side of the building. It smashed him through the wall, and limply out onto the street, where police cars were already starting swarm after the explosion. Raven pulled her left hand back up to the main sphere with which she was focusing her control of the collapsing roof. When it was finally clear above, and over the main catwalk, she let her powers fade, the others recovered enough to watch her stand calmly for a heart-beat, and then moan as she collapsed forward, her hood down, hair trailing. Rith snapped his hand out, and a buffer of noise caught her, gently easing her down. He crawled over to her, Robin and Beast Boy coming over weakly themselves, and turned her over on her back carefully. “…Asleep… She just wore herself out…”

Robin nodded. “Great work, team. Let’s get home…”

Cyborg smiled to Starfire. “Thanks, Star, but I’m almost recovered. Help Raven. I’ll try to help anyone else.”

Rith could still barely stand, so Cyborg helped him along, Robin and Beast Boy just conscious enough to move themselves, and Starfire carried Raven, the Titans leaving the warehouse as weary, battle-worn victors.

* * *

“…Raven? Raven?”

Her eyes stirred open, a soft bed beneath her, and she focused out of her dreamy state to see her friends all around her. Robin smiled, just rousing her from sleep, and Beast Boy, Starfire, Rith, and Cyborg were all there in the med room of Titan Tower, welcoming her back to reality. Her eyebrows rose up, and she started to sit upright. “W-what… happened?”

Robin explained, “You’ve been out of it for about a day, but after what you did, we weren’t too surprised.”

Raven smirked a bit, rubbing one of her temples. “I’ve still got a headache…”

“You saved our lives, Raven. Thank you,” Rith said with a soft nod.

The others were nodding with their smiles as she glanced around, starting to blush a bit. ”I just did what I could…”

Cyborg replied, “Yeah, but if you hadn’t, we might not all be here right now.” He winked, offering his big metal hand. “Gimme some love, girl.”

She smirked, calming from her embarrassment, and slapped his hand, causing a chorus of cheers from the whole team, Starfire hopping up and down, flush with happiness once again.

Beast Boy grinned. “This calls for a party or something! Any ideas?”

Rith chuckled lightly. “Why don’t we let our heroine decide if she wants one?”

Glad to see her friends safe, in fact to an extent that surprised even Raven herself, she was much more accommodating than usual. “…I’m not sure about a party, but I could go for some nice, hot, herbal tea.”

The green boy grinned. “You know what? That sounds just fine.”

Raven smiled a bit, which made him grin even more. Robin nodded to the door. “Let’s head to the living room.”

Everyone started to file out, Rith moving with the others, but Raven slipped off the bed and came up, stopping him with a hand gently resting on his shoulder. He turned to face her, and she watched the door close behind Robin quietly before looking to Rith. “…Thanks.”

He was sincerely puzzled. “…For what? You saved us. I’m sorry my foolishness caused Dr. Gear to get an advantage over everyone.”

The pale girl smirked faintly. “You did your share, and I saw you protect me twice, so don’t pretend otherwise.”

Rith’s eyebrows rose with soft emotion. “Then you’re very welcome for my part. I’m sure you could have found a way to deal with him yourself both times, but better safe than sorry.”

Raven tipped her head, a bit unsure of what to say next. Rith spared her the trouble, gesturing to the door. “Now let’s get you some of that lovely tea.”

Her head ducked a bit, her emotions both calm and a little flustered as she stood in front of him. He opened the door, and let her walk through first, joining her as they went to the living room.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for Dr. Gear, Rith,” she said calmly as they walked.

He glanced at her. “It’s difficult for me to avoid. He fooled me so easily, and that put you and your friends in danger.”

Raven smirked. “You shouldn’t feel bad for trusting someone… and they’re your friends, too, now.”

Rith chuckled, nodding his thanks to her. When they reached the living room, Starfire giggled, floating up to them. “Did you two share a moment of private affection while we left?”

Raven blushed violently. “Starfire…?”

Everyone sweat-dropped, however, when Rith keeled over, his face red. Everyone zipped over and looked down at him, Raven sympathetically shocked, and Starfire fretted with guilt. “I did not mean to make Rith fall over…”

Robin chuckled a bit. “Let’s get him to a chair.”

Cyborg grinned. “Ya know… I’m pretty sure nothing happened, but _you_ look like you wouldn’t have minded a little ‘private affection’, Ra-!”

He leapt into the kitchen, hiding behind a counter as Raven hovered, dark energy writhing off her body, chibi, eyes bleeding fire.

“Did I say ‘private affection’ again? I’ve gotta check my voice chip! I meant ‘pretty good meditation’!” he covered, still hiding.

Raven calmed, walking down with a dry smirk on her lips, and walked down to where Starfire was anxiously fanning Rith. “Oh… please wake up.”

Beast Boy grinned, crept up behind Rith, and whispered something in the boy’s ear. Rith sprang upright. “W-who, what, where?!” Starfire and Beast Boy picked themselves back up from being bowled over. Rith sweatdropped, one eyebrow twitching. “Beast Boy…”

Cyborg blinked. “What’d he say?”

Beast Boy grinned, hiding behind the half-robotic boy. “I just said ‘Raven’.”

Rith appeared over the shapeshifter, darkly calm, chibi himself. “You know… I can make that voice of yours _vanish_ abruptly…”

Beast Boy gulped, but Raven recovered from her new blush with a mild laugh. Robin sat back, smiling at the scene. He’d never seen Raven so relaxed before. She cleared her throat with mock irritation, looking down and off with closed eyes. “So where’s this tea I was promised?”

Beast Boy and Rith both froze, sweat-dropped, and then warred toward the cabinet, fighting over who would fix it for her.

Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg joined Raven in watching the other two boys struggle. Raven crossed her arms, but lightly raised both eyebrows. “I’ve gotta say… having boys fight over you is pretty useful sometimes…”

Rith and Beast Boy froze in mid-wrestle, blushing as the others stifled giggles or hid smiles. Beast Boy eased out from under Rith. “Well… I think he makes it better anyway… yeah…” He scratched the back of his head nervously.

The others just nodded, and Rith grinned, starting to make the tea as the others finally sat down with Raven at the counter. In no time, Rith had cups of steaming herbal tea ready for everyone, and, in honor of Raven, they all enjoyed it. Starfire was quite pleased, saying something about, “It relaxes me from the inside out!”

As they all enjoyed the tea, thanking Rith for making it, Raven glanced at him. They had finally dealt with Dr. Gear, and he seemed quite happy to stay as a Titan. She found herself rather glad about it. She did trust him, and she just hoped it didn’t prove to be a mistake. As she took a sip, she used it to hide a smile. This time, she got the feeling it wouldn’t.


	8. Devotion

Over the next two weeks, Rith settled into a comfortable role in the team, despite being such a new addition. He got along well with everyone, and often mediated between Raven and Beast Boy in his passive, disarming manner. Dishes and breakfast were usually taken care of before anyone else could even get to them, and he seemed to enjoy hanging out with everyone, though noticeably during Raven’s meditations. With Cyborg, he helped test modified sonic weapons, and was even allowed to help tweak the half-robotic boy’s car, which everyone revealed to him was quite an honor indeed. With Starfire he helped take care of her little, grub-like pet, inherited from Killer Moth and Beast Boy in turn, and practiced his defensive techniques as she worked on her firing patterns for her star-bolts.

Robin often sparred with him, the pair giving each other pointers on their different weak points, though Robin noticed he was giving less advice than taking as the days passed, Rith never making a point of it. Rith and Beast Boy got along quite well, which was a bit surprising considering how often Beast Boy and Raven were at odds. Their animal-sound game became a team favorite quite quickly, though it usually fell down to the pair of them being helped by Starfire and Cyborg. Running low on animals to mimic, the game shifted into using an animal to make a tune, and both the animal and the tune had to be named at least, if not mimicked.

Beyond an obviously agreeable relationship, Raven and the new Titan interacted little. He often served her tea if she was reading or talking with the others in the living room, but never directly sought her out or intruded. No one doubted his persisting, particular regard for the dark-haired girl, but his reserve and passive manner hid it very well.

In fact, he didn’t even propose any activities between them until the morning two weeks after Dr. Gear had been handled. Placing tea down in front of Raven as the others started to eat, he smiled gently, tilting his head to the side so that she knew he had a question. She took a sip, but looked up at him with calm interest.

“I don’t mind at all if you dislike the idea, but I was wondering if I could join you for meditation today?”

Starfire tried in vain to hide her giggle and flushing face as she sat beside Robin. Raven’s eyebrow twitched, very aware of the others’ attention, but then looked up at Rith with her usual composure. “Doesn’t bother me. How long do you usually meditate for?”

“How long do you?” he continued, his kind tone obviously hoping to meet her accommodations rather than his own.

Raven shrugged, setting her cup down. “An hour or so. I didn’t think you usually followed that long a stretch?”

“Indeed, not,” he conceded with a tip of his head, “but I would be happy to make the attempt.”

Allowing a faint smile to show, she tipped her head in response. “Sure. After breakfast then?”

“It will be my pleasure, Raven,” he answered with his kind smile, and stepped away to fetch his own breakfast.

Beast Boy leaned to Raven. “…So would that be as close to a date as you get?”

Raven’s eyebrow just twitched as her eyes flashed and anger-marks pulsed on her temple. Beast Boy yelped, crashing onto the floor as his stool flipped out from under him. The others stifled laughs, trying not to make too much fun of their friend, but this time Rith didn’t move to help the green boy off the floor. He’d been quite close to doing the same thing himself… Cyborg yanked Beast Boy up, who grinned meekly, and set his friend down on the uprighted stool. It was worth noting that the stool was black before it uprighted itself, Raven’s expression calm again.

“You were kinda asking for that one, Beast Boy,” Robin finally said, looking across to him with a wry smile.

Beast Boy just grinned, and dove into his tofu.

After breakfast, as agreed, Raven and Rith stepped out onto the roof of the tower. Raven led the way over to the ocean-facing edge, and dropped down into her usual posture. Rith took on a very similar posture to her right, his staff on the ground to his own, with his hands simply laying down on his knees. Raven’s were, as usual, more elaborately postured with their backs on her knees, the middle finger and thumb touching, and the rest spread loosely as if to help collect the information of the cosmos.

She could sense Rith’s peaceful mind as he calmed and focused himself, and so she floated subtly off the ground, and gently began her sutra. “Azarath metrion zinthos…” She continued to chant even as she noticed a shift in the world around her. Her eyes semi-opened, and she glanced down to Rith. The world had gone absolutely silent, all she could hear was her own voice, her heart, her breath. Rith just smiled faintly, sensing her subtle glance, and she let herself fully focus. He kept them in undisturbed silence, she maintained the droning rhythm of her almost hypnotic voice. They were both able to relax much more easily than before, each aiding the other in dismissing distractions, yet both meditating in their own ways.

The depths of Raven’s mind began to coalesce in a strange vision. Her emotions remained calm, but she saw her father, roaring over a shattered world, and then an effigy of herself, the markings Slade had put on her glowing bright and clear. The two were connected, she knew, but this time she felt something more. Her effigy suddenly shivered, and folded over, as if ill or convulsing, and then a great crimson light filled her mind’s eye, the effigy wrenching back with four eyes, power bleeding off and exploding into the darkness of her mind. And then the ideas she had shared with Rith returned to her awareness, and the effigy slowed, the four eyes becoming two once more, the symbols falling away. The calm face of the effigy drew her mind’s eye close, and abruptly she was looking at her own face, full of sorrow and pleading before she cried, “Help me!”

Raven’s eyes snapped open with a soft gasp, her chant cutting off and the sounds of the world abruptly returning to her ears, almost painfully loud as Rith looked up to her in concern.

“Is anything wrong?”

She let herself touch to the roof beside him, maintaining her posture. “I’m not sure,” she admitted, looking down. “I saw a very strange vision… Not like the others…” She focused on the ocean beyond. _If I’m the one who destroys the world… why am I begging myself for help to stop it? But then… that’s what I’ve been doing the whole time, isn’t it? Begging for it to stop… So which is the real me? The destroyer or the beggar?_

“I’m afraid this discussion will have to wait,” Rith muttered, standing and offering his free hand, his other holding his staff, as she glanced down at her blinking cloak-clasp.

She took his hand absent-mindedly, rising to her feet. “Trouble. Let’s find the others.”

* * *

Robin led the Titans calm march into a large, industrial facility on the South end of the city. Starfire and Raven floated along, everyone looking around cautiously, Rith keeping his senses attuned to the areas closest to the building itself. Raven was the first to comment, “Awfully quiet for a break-in…”

“No kidding. Something’s not right about this,” Robin agreed, brow creased.

A rush of air made them all focus ahead, and a dark figure hit the ground with a solid thump, touching one hand down ahead of his armored boots. “Hello, Titans,” Slade announced from his black and orange mask, his visible eye sharpening with dark pleasure. “Thought I’d say ‘hello’ again.”

Raven’s eyes flared, and she sank to the ground, the others tensing into battle stances, Rith bracing with his staff and creased brow, easily noticing the darkened, almost panicked looks on his comrades’ faces.

“It can’t be time already…” Raven breathed, but her voice was weak, her eyes hallowing rapidly.

“Still denying your destiny, Raven? I told you I’d make sure you never forgot.”

This time something shifted inside Raven. She almost growled, snapping her legs apart and jamming her arms at Slade, her soulself blasting off as the other Titans split to the sides. Slade’s eye widened with momentary surprise, the dark stream crashing into his chest and sending him flying back, the far wall of the massive facility spewing dust and debris out from the impact.

Slade stepped out of the rubble chuckling, however. “Awfully impetuous, Raven, but I’m impressed with your power… as always.”

Robin had blast-discs ready in his hand, standing off to the left of Raven with Cyborg. “Titans! Take him DOWN!”

He, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire shot in, Slade dashing to meet them. Blast discs flew, Cyborg fired, and Beast Boy charged in as a T-Rex. Slade’s right hand burnt through the blast-discs like butter, and he unleashed a blast of flame into the sonic beam before spin-flipping ahead, his boot slamming across Robin’s head. Landing with a sharp twist, Slade round-housed Cyborg so powerfully the half-robotic boy flew off, skidding and tumbling to a halt near the right wall.

With the red character glowing on the forehead of his half and half mask, Slade flicked his forearms into the paths of Starfire’s bolts, blocked her charging eye-beam with his left hand, and shot into the air, roll-curling just past her, slamming his feet down into her back. Starfire shouted in pain, and smashed down into the cement floor, shattering a crater for her body just as the green T-Rex finally charged in. Slade, still falling, smashed his fist down into the dinosaur’s snout, Beast Boy reverting with a dazed grunt, crumpling to the ground.

Slade landed, generating an aura of flame that dispersed a distortion flying at him from the right, and blocked a beam of darkness from the front of the building. He ignored Raven for the moment, and glanced sidelong to Rith. “You’re new, aren’t you? Yes, I don’t recall seeing your face before, child.”

“Slade, I presume?” Rith asked sharply, his voice hissing as he dashed in and leapt at Slade’s head, swiping with his staff.

“Indeed,” the villain replied, his body flickering out of Rith’s attack path faster than the boy had expected, and he took a chop to the base of his skull. Rith simply groaned, and crumpled to the ground.

Slade twisted around, grabbed the boy by the scruff of his cloak, Rith barely holding onto his staff, and threw him to the far right wall, where he tumbled to a halt short of slamming into it. At last, the armored, resurrected fighter focused on Raven, walking slowly forward, hands clasped behind his back. “It’s just you and me again, Raven. Like I said, you can’t stop any of it.”

Raven was frozen, standing in horror at the sight of her friends unconscious or badly hurt. This was all her fault… if she had never come, she could have kept this out of their lives… But why did _she_ have to give up everything!? How could her father presume this!? Her anger exploded, and she glared at Slade with her pale fists clenching violently. “I’ll _BREAK YOU_!” she roared, her voice distorting as her overshadowed eyes split into four, glowing points, her body arcing off the ground like liquid shadow, claws bursting out of her cloak to rend Slade to pieces.

Slade shot back, but she was faster, her shadow claws slamming across him in blurred flurries of ferocious power, pitching him through the air as his armor fractured and tore, the dark warrior finally tumbling away as Raven fractionally calmed near the center of the facility, her soulself raging around her body, red eyes blazing as four crimson slits, teeth bared furiously.

Rith managed to push himself off the floor, the other Titans just beginning to recover as well, and his brow creased as he sensed Raven. Then he focused on Slade. The dark warrior slammed his palms forward, unleashing a blast-beam of hellish fire, but Raven just pulled one hand back, rammed it forward, and a wall-wave of darkness obliterated it. The attack shot through and engulfed Slade’s torso, Raven almost smiling in her dark fury as she started to prowl forward, one leg stepping forward at a time. “How does it feel, Slade?” her distorted voice demanded. “I’ll crush you like an insect!” she roared, her power bursting off her body in waves as the extension engulfing Slade started to violently constrict around him, his armor creaking. Veins of crimson began to lace through her soulself, like bloody lightning.

Slade didn’t cry out, on the contrary, his eye narrowed faintly in satisfaction. _Perfect… her rage is building on itself._

The markings appeared, blazing on her forehead, writhing down her palms, up her arms, all over her body under her clothes, down her legs. Raven kept squeezing, roaring and gasping with power. Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg could finally look up, and were frightened and alarmed to see what was happening. Rith’s expression tightened with empathy. _It’s her rage he wants…_

“Raven!?” Robin called in panic, his eyes wide.

She didn’t hear him. Slade would _break_ in her power, it would all end, she would destroy it all. None of it would stop _her_! She released her crushing attack, flowing closer to Slade, who built power around his body. She rammed her left arm to the side, darkness blasting his power to wisps, knocking him back violently. “No more tricks for you!”

Slade continued to smile to himself. _It’s a little ahead of schedule, but I doubt my master will be upset…_

And suddenly Rith shot between the two, surprising everyone in the facility. Slade’s eye widened with controlled alarm and irritation. Rith skidded to a halt, his cloak and hair writhing, staff out in his right hand, as he faced Raven, arms spread, blocking Slade from her as he focused into her transfigured eyes. “No, Raven! Stop!”

The crimson gaze narrowed in fury. “Move aside!” A dark claw erupted from her hand, and crushed around Rith’s body, leaving all but his head darkened, the boy grunting and gritting his teeth from the pain.

“Raven!!!” Beast Boy yelled in shock, trying to stand, but falling to his knees with a pained wince, clutching his head. He looked up through his fingers painfully.

Raven wrenched Rith to the side, and used her red-veined power to slam him into the far wall, baring her teeth at him as her cloak writhed over her undulating soulself, casting her into a frightful effigy of darkness and crimson. She pulled him closer, squeezing a little more each moment as the markings blazed on her visible skin, her power writhing across her body, filling the air around her. Slade watched with satisfaction. “It seems to have begun…” he muttered.

Rith could barely breathe, but his straining face calmed a bit, his eyebrows softening as they wavered from pain. “Y-you… are not a monster!”

The eyes wavered, but she growled, starting to squeeze again.

“Raven! This is not what you want!” Rith gasped out, sympathy for her overriding his protesting body. “Do not let him manipulate you! You would never hurt your friends!”

Her eyes melted back to normal abruptly, their lavender depths wide with horror at her own actions, the markings fading away. “…Rith?” Her power dispersed, Rith gently slipping to the ground. Raven ran toward him, cloak flailing as her hood fell down. “Rith!?” she cried in alarm, dropping down beside him as the boy almost fell flat on his front, his staff clattering to the ground.

Tears welled up in her eyes as he smiled wanly at her. “See? …Told you… you’d never hurt your… friends…”

Raven held up him as gently as she could, almost sobbing. “I’m so sorry! I could have…! I almost…”

Rith shook his head, the other Titans watching, able to ease faintly. The blind boy continued to smile warmly for the young woman. “That wasn’t you, Raven, just a part of you, a part you control. You stopped,” he said with calm emphasis, and repeated gently, “You stopped.”

Raven’s eyebrows rose softly, tears dripping down her cheeks. “…I stopped it…”

He nodded. “He wants you to let that out, to let it take over. You are not a monster, Raven, but you are _very_ powerful. That does not mean you will hurt your friends.”

She actually managed a smile, grateful for his kindness in that moment more than ever before. He had done so much for her, taken so much punishment, and was still helping her.

And then Slade loomed up beside them. “Excuse me while I vomit!” Speaking in disgust, his fist pulled back, and shot down at Raven herself. Darkness engulfed her hands, and she blocked away from Rith, a shockwave pulsing through the air.

“I have a choice!” she firmly called back, and then wrenched her arms down to the left, her soulself flaring with the light in her eyes as her hair flailed.

Slade grunted, thrown across the floor from her power. The girl rose to her feet, her soulself, pure darkness once more, swirling around her hands, and then flew at Slade. He scoffed, and dashed to meet her. She snapped her hands into position ahead of his blows, shields of soulself blocking just beyond her palms as she flitted around him, rarely touching the ground. Rith, meanwhile, breathed powerfully in recovery, clutching his staff on the ground as he anxiously sensed Raven’s battle.

Starfire summoned power in her eyes, but it fizzled out, and she rubbed her back, sitting up in the rubble of her fall. “I-I am… too weak to help Raven…”

Robin was barely staying upright on his knees himself. “We have to… think of something, team…”

A blow sent Raven skidding back behind a shield of her power, her cloak and hair flailing backward as she grunted from the exertion. Slade came charging right in, ramming her back step-by-step.

“Do you actually think you can stop it, Raven? You can’t escape your fate! You’re going to destroy the world, and everything in it!” Slade rattled on with dark pleasure, swirling and striking her shield so violently and rapidly that she could barely maintain it, yet alone fight.

Rith listened with growing anger in his heart, his jaw clenching as his grip on his staff tightened. This was the one who had made Raven feel so terrible for being _who_ she was. The dead man who made her feel like a monster, who took away her hope. She was fighting with such strength and courage, taking on all her fears and a seemingly invincible foe all at once, and she wasn’t getting an inch of slack. Nothing was letting her ease her wounded heart, nothing was simply helping her realize she was a _good_ human being.

His expression darkened firmly, and he flickered off the ground.

Raven strained from another blow ramming her back almost to Starfire, Cyborg and the others watching anxiously. Slade came down at her with a roar and chop of his right hand, slamming it into her crossed arms, engulfed in soulself. Slade chuckled. “You think this will stop me, Raven?”

Her eyes blazed, but she had already used so much strength… “I’ll do whatever I can. I won’t let you hurt my friends again!”

An aura of orange light formed over Slade, and he broke through her power. Raven gasped in pain, and he grabbed her forearms. Raven cried out, wincing her eyes shut as he burned the vision back into her mind. Tears welled back up, and she opened her eyes painfully to look up at Slade’s satisfied, narrowed eye. Despair clawed at her heart. “…I won’t turn on my friends… you can’t make me,” she breathed at him despite his hold on her.

He squeezed her arms, making her cry out again, but he suddenly looked up, his eye widening, and Raven gasped from surprise, stumbling back as Slade was rammed away by some horrendous force. The back of the facility exploded with a massive shock-wave the next instant, massive pistons and metal plating raining down to the ground. Raven’s eyes widened as she watched with the others, seeing the distortion of the shock-wave fade.

Rith skidded out of the rubble, his staff braced ahead of him, Slade shooting out to finish off the new Titan. Rith focused with dark determination, and flickered out of sight, Slade’s fist shattering the ground. Slade sent a fire-wave to his left, which burst around a distortion that ripped toward the flame-wielding warrior, a staff swiping at his head. Slade ducked, flickered, and Rith appeared, blocking ahead with his staff and moving to the right as he faced the others at the other end of the building. His staff twisted and flicked around his left arm he blocked and parried dozens of blows in a few seconds, suddenly ramming into the air with a violent distortion shooting out, he and Slade crashing into the top, right corner of the building with shattering ferocity.

Cyborg blinked. “Geez… they’ll take the whole building down fighting like that. Look at Rith go…”

Raven’s mouth was agape, seeing the violent fighters blitz through the ceiling, Rith twirling and snapping his body and staff into Slade, the villain’s back plowing through the metal and cement surface. The purple-haired girl shook her head free of the trance, and hurried to Starfire, the closest. “I can heal some of the damage,” she explained quickly, holding a hand near Starfire’s bruised back.

“You scared us, Raven,” Starfire admitted meekly, grateful for her friend’s help.

“I scared myself,” the other girl admitted quite honestly, glancing over her shoulder with worry.

Rith grunted, his body snapping taut from a blow to his chin, sending him shooting to the floor as Slade shoved himself down from the ceiling, both his feet already down from ramming into the boy. The ground shattered under Rith for a radial crater, Slade shooting down wreathed in flame, but the blind boy snapped up, twirling violently and ramming one heel up into Slade’s chin as the tyrant landed. A shock-wave burst out from the site of impact, Rith’s power expressing itself before Slade rocketed up into the ceiling near the back wall.

The sound-controller dropped to his feet, facing the back wall, his staff held along his back with his legs braced wide. Slade dropped down, and faced Rith, the boy panting, he barely exerted. “Most impressive, child. If I didn’t serve my master at the moment, I would find you a very enticing prospect… especially since my last apprentice turned out so… pathetic.”

Raven was helping Robin at last, she and the others looking up as Slade spoke.

Rith was unfazed. “I won’t let you near her again.”

Slade chuckled. “You are most interesting, boy. I sense no uncontrolled rage to manipulate, no delusion of your chance of success.”

The boy ripped off the ground, dust blasting away from his feet, and arced just over Slade. The man swung with his fists and snapped up with his feet, but Rith twisted and writhed, blocking with a foot, hand, foot again, and staff before flipping over and landing to face the flame-empowered villain once again. Slade chuckled, turning slowly to eye the young man. “Pardon me, I haven’t faced someone like you before. What was your name?”

The boy gave no response, only focus.

Slade chuckled again. “I see, of course. Your friends don’t even understand what you’re doing right now, do they? No, they’re not like you, child. You are mistaken about the girl, however. She has an amazing destiny to fulfill, you shouldn’t deny it to her.”

Raven’s emotions flickered from shock, anger, to fear and back again. Her heart shrank at the idea of Rith pausing, hesitating at the information… but as she watched, she only saw Rith stand strong.

“Your master’s goal for her is of no consequence. You can not make her do anything against her will. Before you try again, I will do everything in my power to stop you.”

Slade finally laughed outright, holding his head as he leaned back. “I have absolutely no doubt of your sincerity, child! She doesn’t know, though, does she?” he continued, looking down at Rith, his eye focused as if raising the eyebrow above it. “How far you’re willing to go for her?”

Raven’s brow creased, but she and the other Titans were finally recovered enough to stand. Starfire gathered energy around her fists and eyes, Beast Boy turned into a wolf, and Cyborg activated his cannon.

Slade suddenly twisted and shot for Raven again, but Rith vanished as fast. All the Titans unleashed, but Slade obliterated their long-range attacks with a wall of flame, dashing for Raven as he landed from his attacking leap. A blur crashed into him from the left, however, and they both vanished into the right wall, a trail of distortion and a fresh shock-wave shattering most of the moorings, the Titans retreating from it as it came raining down.

Rith backflipped out, Slade charging after him. The glowing hand and distorted staff met at the middle, Rith blocking high, hands on either side. His cloak and hair rippled madly as the ground beneath he caved in, but he held. Finally, he looked over his shoulder. “Get Raven _out of here!!!_ ”

“We’re not leaving you alone with him!” Raven shouted back just as firmly. “I’m not abandoning anyone just to save myself from _him_!”

Slade laughed, and shoved down to the side. Rith was caught, and sent flying, but he flipped over, landed, and shot in again. Slade flared his power on his right, but Rith’s staff struck with the power of sound amplified violently, and the flame and distortion swirled off each other. “Ah, child, I am _most_ impressed.” He suddenly flipped high over Rith, forcing the boy to twist around and meet him as he landed.

“You would actually die here just to buy her a few minutes of time…”

Raven’s eyes flared, her body going faintly numb. The others were simply shocked dumb. Slade’s statement was made so real by Rith’s calm, grim stance and complete focus. There was no wry humor, no little joke, he was simply ready to give his all, and he didn’t assume that meant anything. “R-Rith, don’t!” Raven finally shouted. “You don’t have to do that for me! Please!”

The masked villain leapt toward the other Titans, and Rith kicked off the ground, ripping through the air, staff held back, brow knitted with focus. Raven drew back, summoning power, Starfire and Cyborg charging their own, Robin and Beast Boy bracing for melee combat. Slade came shooting in, focused on Raven, and used the last second to glance to his left. Rith was there, bringing his staff around from his left, his cloak and hair rattling with his sonic speed. Complete silence engulfed the chamber, the air behind Rith and around his staff distorting more violently than ever, the boy’s expression fierce with outrage and focus.

Slade’s fist was just shy of Raven, her powers starting to fly out, Starfire and Cyborg starting to fire, Robin and Beast Boy just leaping in, when Rith came close enough, and snap-twisted his staff straight into Slade’s mask. Everything froze for a heart-beat, Slade pitching back in the air with the staff-end, and then a sonic wave exploded with shattering force, slicing into the ground and blasting into the walls and ceiling as Slade rocketed clear through the far, back wall, the attacks of the other Titans exploding against bare floor.

Rith dropped to his feet, facing the back wall as Slade leapt back through it. The boy looked ready to drive another blow of such magnitude immediately, his body stiff, braced, and ready. However, Slade stopped, and called loudly for them to hear. “I just came to remind her about her fate, and I think you fought well enough to earn a little reward, my new friend. I’ll give your dear Raven a little reprieve… but my master grows impatient. Ta, ta…” He gave a mild wave, turned, and was gone.

Robin slowly eased. “…He’s gone…”

Cyborg gasped, Raven sagging a bit with the others, her eyes focusing on Rith. The half-metal Titan whistled. “Rith, man, how could you keep going like that?”

Rith slowly relaxed from his stance, coughed a bit, and then started to collapse.

“Rith!”

Raven caught him with her soulself, and ran to him, catching the blind boy in her arms as she knelt down. The others rushed closer, and she touched her hand to his neck. She exhaled with relief. “Only unconscious…”

Beast Boy looked down at the blind boy with obvious concern. “Geez… He… He was really willing to die today…”

Raven looked at the calm, worn face laying at her knees with soft sorrow. “Yes… for me…”

“Is he so much stronger than any of us?” Starfire asked meekly, very sad she had not been able to help Raven herself.

Robin shook his head. “It wasn’t his power that let him do that… or… his power didn’t come from just his ability.”

Raven nodded faintly, holding her hands in her lap. “…It was his devotion…”

“…I’m sorry we couldn’t help like he did, Raven,” Robin said, but it was clear everyone felt exactly the same way. There was a deep guilt and sincere hurt in his voice that echoed in their faces as she looked up at her older friends.

“You did… you do… He just… He just knew how to help me remember that. You shouldn’t feel like you failed as my friends,” she continued with deep sincerity. “I’ve never seen anyone act with so much devotion… You each did everything you could… I saw that…” She bowed her head, her eyes closing. “I can’t thank any of you enough.”

Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder, letting her look up at him. “You’d do the same for any of us, Raven. We know that. It’s what being friends is all about. We’re here for each other.”

“Exactly,” Cyborg agreed, stepping up. “The love’s felt all around, but let’s get this poor kid back to a bed, alright?”

His mild humor let the others relax with some laughter, and Raven started to use her powers to carry Rith, but Cyborg raised a hand to her, and picked the boy up himself. “You did your bit, Raven. Let me help out a little?”

She smiled apologetically, let him continue, and they returned to Titan Tower together. One thing had been made extremely clear to Raven. She had underestimated Rith’s concern for her. Even as a friend, his devotion to her was almost disturbingly sincere and complete.

And what was worse? She wasn’t sure anything less could have woken her up from her rage. _I can’t let that happen again. I will not make anyone suffer that much for me._ Her eyes glanced ahead, focusing on the blind boy’s face as he lay, unconscious, in Cyborg’s arms. _…But I can’t thank him enough for being willing to do it…_ He had more than earned her trust, she felt. It was high time she considered him truly part of the team. She’d been accepting of the idea since Robin brought it up, but now it was part of her reality. He _was_ a Titan, and her friend. There was no room in her heart for doubt of that any longer.

* * *

The door slid open, and Raven stepped through, exhaling in light weariness. Rith had been laid in his bed by Cyborg, and the Titans were all recuperating in their own ways from the harrowing battle with Slade. Her mind was both stronger and weaker from the experience. Rith’s words of encouragement seemed to ring true, but there was still so much bearing down on her, and it had been a violent, dark reminder of the very things she’d just managed to forget.

Looking up, nearing her bed, her lavender eyes glanced across her right wall, and she abruptly froze. Her gaze flared with alarm, and she ran to the chest resting against the right side of her room, yanking the already partially opened lid all the way up. The chest was completely empty. Her expression grew alarmed and almost fearful. “No…”

Scarcely a minute later, Robin walked to his door, slowed by bruises, and opened it to see Raven’s urgent, alarmed face. She so rarely showed the emotion that he was immediately alert. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s gone,” she started powerfully. “The book, the one holding Malchior. It’s been taken from my room.”

His concern became more complete. “Mind if we see?”

She shook her head, and they quickly summoned the others, Rith still recovering in his room. Only a short time later, Robin was looking down into the empty chest himself, Starfire floating quietly behind him, Beast Boy careful not to touch anything, and Cyborg scanning the floor with his red optic, slowly walking to the doorway. Raven stood by to allow them their process, but finally spoke up, “I _know_ it was here before we left to fight Slade. I keep this chest locked and sealed with powerful spells. I came in to find it slightly open already.”

Starfire whimpered faintly. “But if we fought Slade, how did he take the book?”

Raven shook her head. “I don’t know if it _was_ Slade, but a very powerful magic-user was in my room while we were gone. I don’t have to tell any of you how bad it is if he gets out and we _don’t_ have the book to seal him into.”

Robin looked thoughtfully down into the empty chest, stroking his chin, but then turned gravely to his friends. “We’re all thrashed tonight. We need time to recover. In the morning, we’ll talk more about this. Raven,” he added with subtle emphasis, drawing her weary, worried gaze, “we’ll need you to tell us more about what’s going on… Slade obviously isn’t through with you.”

Her expression tightened. This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid. “R-Robin I…” she let her voice trail off as he shook his head.

“Worry about it tomorrow morning. We all _need_ rest. If Malchior does come back, we’ll find a way to stop him,” he offered in an attempt to let Raven relax a little, but saw her wariness remain.

Cyborg finally turned around at the doorway. “I can’t find any evidence of an intruder, but if magic was involved, then that makes more sense. Sorry, Ray, I can’t do much more.”

She offered a faint smile, shaking her head. “Robin’s right, we need sleep first.”

Agreed, everyone, even Beast Boy, quickly and quietly left Raven’s room. When the door sealed shut behind Starfire, Raven sank onto her bed, staring down at the floor. “…I can’t tell them… but… they need to know…” She looked down at her palms, and calmly watched the characters draw themselves across her skin. “They saw it today, a glimpse of it… How can they trust me after they find out?” She closed her hands, the marks fading, but her closed eyes let tears seep down her cheeks as she bowed her head.

A memory made her eyes open softly, gazing with warmer emotions into nothing. Rith smiling at her after she’d almost… He didn’t blame her at all, he’d just been there for her. All of her friends were. Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire were all there for her, as much as they could be. Rith, she knew after that day, would never turn on her, perhaps even if she deserved it, but how would the others react? She couldn’t blame them for hating her when they found out the truth, but… she wasn’t sure she could handle it.

Raven put up a strong façade almost all the time, but the Titans were her family, the truest one she’d ever had. If the darkness lurking inside her made them turn on her… she truly had nowhere to turn. Thanks to Rith, the little voice in her heart to the contrary had grown louder and stronger. They deserved to know, since she’d dragged them all into this anyway, but more than that… they were her friends, she had to trust them enough, trust that they wouldn’t turn on her completely. Angry, maybe shout at her, but not turn on her completely.

Raven exhaled slowly, resting her hands on her lap. _Thank you, Rith…Maybe… just maybe you’re right about this,_ she looked down at the marks glowing in her palms. What he said just might be true, and somehow she knew the others would agree with it. Even in the growing darkness threatening her mind, a spark of hope shone brightly, and she could feel it. Feeling a little stronger about her future, Raven lay back at last, and let herself drift to sleep. The new day would bring it’s own challenges, but that day was done… it was time to rest.


	9. Trust

Raven woke naturally, if not abruptly, the next morning. She was immediately surprised by one fact. She couldn’t remember any nightmares. After a direct attack from Slade, she had expected to almost not sleep with so many horrible visions, but none had come. Then she realized why. The dread of telling her friends what exactly Slade was trying to get her to do was far worse than any mere nightmare. She winced at the idea, but picked herself off the bed, slipping onto her feet, and walking to her door. Feeling a bit rejuvenated, perhaps she could help Rith heal from his bruises and strain a little faster.

Walking out into the empty, darkened hallway of the early morning tower, she took a left, and kept moving. Not too much later, she touched a command beside another door. “…Rith, are you conscious?” she tested first, not wanting to barge in on him in his own room. Not hearing a response, she touched the door, and allowed her soulself to flow inside. Indeed, he was still on his bed, fast asleep.

The door swept open, and she smoothly walked over to his bedside. Raven paused, concern forming in her expression as she saw his brow quivering, obviously in some kind of disturbing dream. Quite sympathetic, especially after what he had done for her against Slade, she gently touched his shoulder. She gasped, snapping her hand back as a flood of painful visions flashed in her mind. His nightmare was so… clear, she realized as she looked down at the hand she’d used, rubbing the fingertips off her thumb. It had been her, screaming in pain, far away, and he was running, but couldn’t reach her. Then it jumped, showing fallen bodies all around him, or armies attacking him, forcing him to fight, destroy everything around him.

Controlling her empathic powers, Raven gently touched his shoulder again, a sympathetic friend in that moment. “…You’re so afraid of hurting people… And you care so much about me…” Her brow creased softly. “…I just don’t understand _why_ …”

Rith inhaled deeply, and Raven retracted her hand into her cloak, the boy moaning gently, sounding quite relieved and pleased. “…Raven… You came to check on me,” he whispered with a voice weak from sleep. Her lovely voice had coaxed him out of his nightmare beautifully, like being pulled from blistering heat into a cool breeze and softness.

The pale girl smiled a bit. “I owed you…” She became quite serious. “You nearly died for me… You were willing to.”

He smoothly sat up, offering a smile. “Don’t worry about that. I was just doing what I could. You defeated him. Just one battle in a larger conflict, yes, but you defeated him, Raven. You made the choice.”

Raven’s expression softened helplessly. “I nearly crushed you, and you’re making me sound like some heroine…”

“Because it took a heroic action to stop that power you were using. Raven, emotions are your power, and you were being strained by every one of your dearest feelings in that fight. All your fears and concerns, at least most of the most important ones to you, were all in one place. I can’t blame you for unleashing your rage, only for taking the responsibility to control it before it was too late.” His voice remained gentle and compassionate, completely relaxing her sense of shame in front of him.

Lavender eyes looked down gently, her expression calm and accepting. “I don’t really know how to handle what you did for me, though, Rith. That was…” she winced faintly, “I can’t repay that…”

“You already did,” he replied, tilting his head with a kinder turn to his gentle smile.

She focused on him quizzically.

“I was able to wake up to your wonderful voice.”

Her mouth opened a bit with a helplessly dismal expression and blush on her cheeks. “R-Rith…”

The blind boy just grinned at this point, and hopped off his bed beside her, retrieving his staff. She faced him again, calming her expression to uncertain anxiety. Realizing he simply wouldn’t let her feel obliged to him, she sank her head and shoulders with a soft exhale, and looked up to start again. “When the others wake up… it’s time for me to explain what Slade wants, why I’ve been so… distant.”

“You’re still afraid it will cost you your friends?” Rith queried with his usual shrewdness.

Raven admitted it with a nod. “I know to trust my friends, though.”

“Of course,” he replied matter-of-factly, already smiling again.

At last, she allowed herself some amusement with his insurmountable kindness, shaking her head with closed eyes, making her hair dance slightly. “Thank you, Rith… That’s all I can say at this point.”

He bowed. “You’re entirely welcome, for my part.”

Calming, she nodded for them to walk out together. “Come on. Something else happened last night you need to know. I’ll tell you on the way to the living room.”

“A plan, indeed. Shall I make us some tea while we wait for the others?” Rith asked as they left his room.

“…If you want,” Raven decided to respond, a bit awkward at transitioning from tea to Malchior. “Remember what I said about Malchior? How he was trapped in a book?”

Rith nodded, calm and focused himself.

“…When we got back yesterday, I found that book missing from my room.”

Indeed, the boy’s expression became grave, but not overly alarmed. “…You suspect Slade?”

She nodded. “I’m not sure though… we were fighting him while it vanished, after all.”

“Considering how the fight with Slade ended… It might have been nothing more than a diversion from the theft of the book.”

Raven was unsettled by how well his postulation fit what she was dreading in her heart.

“It would seem Slade’s goal… or his method for attaining it, is to manipulate your emotions. Malchior is a logical target to that end,” Rith continued, his voice remaining serious.

Knowing Rith would understand as well, if not better, than Robin, Raven quietly admitted, “He’s trying to unlock them…”

Finally, the blind boy smiled again, looking to the young woman. “And you can simply show him how well you control your emotions.”

His hopefulness was refreshing, but it couldn’t completely dissipate her fear. She managed a wan smile. “I didn’t do a very good job of that in the last fight.”

“On the contrary,” Rith replied, rather predictably for his nature, “I think you did an excellent job. Stopping myself in the middle of a fit of rage is nigh impossible, yet you halted your anger completely in an instant.”

Raven looked up at him resolutely. “Thanks to you.” She refused to let him give all the credit to her this time.

The doors to the living room opened for them as Rith let his smile soften with warmth, tipping his head. “As you wish to see it, madam. The decision was still yours when it mattered.”

There was an undeniable truth to what he said. No matter how well he got her attention, _she_ had to stop her temper, just as _she_ had let it go in the first place. Raven watched Rith walk into the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools herself. She knew offering to help would only be met with a polite refusal. Silence seemed to naturally follow, and Raven simply watched Rith prepare the tea for them both where she sat, both waiting for the others to wake up.

She could see the soft joy he felt just being in her presence, uniquely suited to such awareness herself. It was both touching and made her feel immensely guilty. How could he be so happy around her? How could he really feel so unconditionally for her when she had such darkness inside her, waiting to lash out? Yet the fear that he would turn on her when he learned the truth simply dissipated the moment she thought on it. She _knew_ he wouldn’t turn on her. He really cared about her that much. Through him, she realized, none of her friends would turn on her. Though she’d thought similarly herself the night before, it became all the more clear in that moment, as he let the tea simmer at his hands.

When he placed a cup in front of her, Raven tipped her head to him, and as she took it in her hands, looked up, asking, “Do I really sound like I have a pure heart, Rith?” It was a surprisingly simple, honest question. She wanted to know his perspective, hear his reasoning.

He seemed to understand her reason for asking, and simply set his tea down, his face gazing down at nothing as his eyebrows rose. “Soft, but capable of great power, almost sorrowful, but with the hint and hope of joy just behind each word. I feel humility, power, grace in your voice. Only a truly good heart can produce these so eloquently. If you weren’t a good person, Raven, you would not be so terrified of being a monster,” he finished with a soft shake of his head, looking at her with his eyeless gaze.

The girl looked down into her tea with a worried expression on her face. “…I want that to be true, but…”

One of his hands reached, softly resting on her own, letting her look at him again. “Rest easy, Raven. You’ll be explaining things all morning. Just enjoy your tea.”

For some reason, that was exactly what she needed to hear that moment. She exhaled with a faint smile, nodded, and started to sip her drink. “Mmm… very soothing, thank you.”

He smiled back. “My pleasure. I’m very glad.”

Raven was able to enjoy a full cup of tea before the other Titans started arriving, Beast Boy yawning as he marched through the doors last. Raven stood up and moved from the counter as Robin walked up to her. “Ready to talk, Raven?” Robin asked with his calm, serious manner.

The mood of the whole room seemed to turn more grave, even Beast Boy calm and wary for once as Raven took her time to respond. “…Yes. I need to tell you guys what’s going on… Can we sit down?” she asked, gesturing to the table.

Robin was fast to agree, and everyone sat down in the booth, Rith taking the seat opposite Raven, the pair sitting on the outer sides, the rest spread around the table. Raven exhaled, grateful for the others’ patience as she collected her thoughts. Dismissing her fear was proving more difficult than she had expected, her throat uncomfortably tight. “I’ll… say this as clearly as I can. My father… is named Trigon, and he’s a demon from another realm.”

Robin and Rith had little noticeable shock, but Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire showed differing levels of sympathetic concern already.

Raven went on, “Slade has been brought back by Trigon to make sure I fulfill the destiny intended for me since my birth.” She was clearly having a tough time, her eyes closed and her brow creased as she kept her head bowed. The others listened attentively, Starfire pouting for her friend. “The thing on my birthday… Slade started the process that day.” She raised her hands, and the markings appeared on her palms.

Cyborg was grave as he pointed to her hands. “Those were all over you when you were going off on Slade… Did he…?”

Raven just nodded, her eyes tightening as she felt tears threaten, but she kept her emotions calmed, letting herself relax physically. “He showed me a vision of the future. …I destroy the world, and my father takes over.” Her hands closed and she pulled them down into her lap. “I’m not sure I can stop it from happening…” She glanced to Rith, and then to her friends around the table, “but I won’t let him turn me on my friends… I won’t turn on this world.”

The table was silent, Beast Boy just staring at her with wide-eyed shock, a shadow of guilt hiding behind his gaze. Rith remained silent, but looked at Raven with a sympathetic, accepting expression that let her feel as though she were still welcome, not suddenly an abomination. Cyborg finally managed to respond, “Geez, Ray… We had no idea this was that serious… Why didn’t you tell us before? We coulda planned better…”

Raven looked down quickly, her brow creasing. “…I didn’t want to turn all of you on me… after finding out what I am.”

“You’re a ‘who’, Raven, not a ‘what’,” Robin replied with sincerity, leaning forward. “Why would we turn on you? We all know you’d never turn out like Slade or Trigon.”

Beast Boy nodded, firm in his agreement. “No kidding, Raven. Cy and I helped you take on your Dad in your head before, why would we wig out on you now? No way! We’re your friends!”

Starfire nodded quickly. “Absolutely, Raven. We would never turn on you. You are our friend!”

Though she had already known to trust each and every one of them, Raven couldn’t help but smile as tears wetted her eyes. “I know, I’m sorry… That’s part of what Rith helped me realize… Up until now, I didn’t think I could escape it, that I could just enjoy the time I had left, but… I have a choice.” Though a shadow of doubt lingered in her heart, she decided to trust in hope, with her friends.

Robin nodded, smirking his old, confident smirk. “That’s right. Don’t worry, Raven. We’ll make Slade wish he’d never been brought back. I don’t care what kind of new powers he has.”

Cyborg leaned in on one elbow. “I know you were going a little overboard, Raven, but if you can figure out how to tap into that power you used before, we’ll take Slade down like that.” He smacked his left fist into his right palm. “Booyah!”

It worried Raven, the idea of using her ‘power’, but seeing her friends’ confidence made her smile more easily. “Of course… thanks.”

Starfire suddenly floated over, and hugged Raven. Raven blushed, blinking her eyes wide as the alien girl grabbed her from the right, but then relaxed into a helpless smile, touching Starfire’s arm across her front with her hands. “Thank you for trusting us with your secret, Raven,” the red-haired girl whispered sincerely, closing her eyes as she embraced her friend.

The paler girl was softly shocked, blinking tears out of her eyes again. “Y-you’re… welcome…” she managed awkwardly, not really sure she was supposed to say it in such a manner, but lacking anything else.

When Starfire finally released, she giggled, and grappled Rith, who gave a mild cry of dismay before laughing awkwardly from her hug. “We owe you much thanks, Rith, for helping Raven open up to us!”

Rith was blushing. “Please, please… Raven did this herself. Each of you have earned her trust. At most, I reminded her of things she already knew…”

Everyone, even Raven, smiled at him, the purple-haired girl replying as Starfire finally let go, still flush with joy. “You helped, Rith. Just admit it.”

Caught, but happy for Raven’s peace of mind, he scratched the back of his head nervously, smiled, and nodded. “As you say it, madam.”

Robin flipped out of the booth, into the central area of the living room. “Alright, Titans. We know the situation. Malchior’s book is missing, and Slade is still active. Raven, how can we help?”

Raven stepped out into the room with the others, Cyborg, Starfire, Rith, and Beast Boy standing by, ready. “Honestly, until something comes up, we’re at a disadvantage. You all know that if either shows up, we’ll need to throw everything we have at them.”

Rith spoke up. “It’s possible Slade only drew us out to divert us from the theft of Malchior’s book.”

Robin nodded, stroking his chin. “It fits Slade’s style, at least before Terra took care of him. Trigon needs Raven, which means Slade needs her. Slade has drawn us out twice to get at Raven, though,” he gave a nod to Rith, “maybe this last time was mostly a distraction to get that magic book. Here’s the plan,” he started seriously, looking to the team as they became freshly attentive. “Until something comes up, we have to be on our guard. Try not to head too far from the tower without another Titan, and if _anything_ comes up, call the team in. Beast Boy, sorry to pick on you, but please watch your emergency calls.”

Beast Boy sweat-dropped, but then nodded seriously. “No problem, dude. I’m not letting Slade get at Raven any more than Rith is.”

Raven herself blushed a little, everyone giving the blind boy a faint glance. He just smiled awkwardly. “I think you’re devotion stands on its own feet, Beast Boy. I just did my part in that last entanglement.”

Cyborg smirked. “Yeah… ya just nearly took the whole building down with Slade’s face.”

Everyone shared the humor, and despite the ominous portents of Raven’s revelation, they settled in for a relaxing breakfast. After all, Raven had known the whole time and continued to operate as a Titan, now it simply applied to the whole team. Whoever came looking for Raven, Slade, Trigon, or even Malchior, would be getting a reception they wouldn’t soon forget.

* * *

That afternoon, the Titans were spread around the living room once again. Beast Boy and Cyborg were warring over Game-Station, Robin was shadow-boxing on the right landing, looking over the ocean, and Starfire was teaching Rith how to prepare some of her Tamaranian dishes. Even with the blind boy’s nigh infinite patience, his wariness from the ‘food’ was becoming a little more obvious with every ingredient she added. Raven was reading over on the side couch, to the left of Cyborg and Beast Boy, reading her Witch Memoirs book.

Abruptly, Raven paused, folding her book over one thumb and glancing aside, as if listening to something seriously. It was vague, distant, but she sensed great power. She was about to call to the others, simply to err on the side of caution, when Rith froze with Starfire, his head jerking to the side as his brow creased. Starfire paused, looking to her new friend with controlled concern as she held a bowl of white pudding-like substance in her left arm. “We have a problem,” he called out clearly.

Robin was already running to the kitchen, Cyborg and Beast Boy didn’t even turn off their game, and Raven walked over to join Rith and Starfire as they stepped out of the kitchen.

“Can you sense him?” Rith asked Raven directly, his tone grave.

“Yes, I was just going to warn everyone myself.”

Robin twirled his staff out in his hand, “Which one?”

Raven looked at him with both weariness and focus in her eyes. “…Malchior.”

“Aw, man!” Beast Boy moaned, slapping his forehead. “So Slade _did_ let him out?”

Raven pulled her hood up and floated into the air. “We can’t know for certain, but that’s what I suspect.”

“He’s coming from the city. I didn’t realize he’d be so big,” Rith explained, glancing up to Raven.

“He has the power to match. He’s coming straight for us, too.”

Robin ran for the doors, the others quickly following him, Rith spinning his own staff along his back. “Then let’s get to the roof. Titans, GO!”

Not a minute later, the Titans spread across the center of the roof, facing the city. Robin took point, staff in hand, with the girls floating high on either side, and Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Rith falling in behind the leader. Just rushing over the last skyscrapers of the city toward their tower, Malchior the dread dragon snapped his powerful black wings, his black and purple body as powerful as ever, his red eyes glowing with malefic intent. Cyborg had his cannon ready, Rith was already summoning spheres of sound on either side of him, and Starfire let her power gather in her eyes and around her fists. Raven narrowed her eyes as they glowed, and held her hands out and low, her soulself coiling around them.

The massive dragon glided to a halt, floating before them with spread wings as his tail and hind legs hung beneath his shoulders. His eyes narrowed as if smiling. “Ah, my dear Raven. It has been _such_ a long time.” His voice was magical, not coming from his mouth, and filled with all of his dark power. “Still feeling lonely?”

Raven glowered. “Not really…”

“Aw… Poor girl. Still in denial. Is that your only defense mechanism now? Going to run to your room and cry all alone again?”

“Enough,” Rith called powerfully, his own voice modified with power, filling the air around Malchior. Raven glanced down at him for the defense, privately appreciative. However well she could take it, it was still embarrassing to get harassed about crying alone in her room in front of all her friends.

Malchior focused down on the blind boy with dark, cold fury. “Ah yes, I’ve heard of you. A blind boy with surprising power.”

Robin remained braced with his staff. “Who released you from that book?”

The dragon laughed, letting his focus return to the whole team. “That’s for me to know and you to find out! Raven! I have a _bone_ to pick with you!” The beast lurched, and a blast of flame erupted from its maw.

Robin and the others scattered to the sides, but Raven jerked her hands forward, power blazing from her eyes as a stream of soulself burst forth, slamming into the flaming blast. The two powers spread against each other, a black and orange wall swirling and pitching between the struggling wills.

Rith ran under the spells from Raven’s left, dashing toward the edge of the roof facing the dragon, but also toward Cyborg. “Cyborg! Give me a blast!” and he ran off the edge, leaping into the air.

The half-metal Titan smirked, and aimed with braced legs. “Let him have it!” He fired just as Rith swirled into a somersault. The blue-white beam distorted as it reached Rith, the boy’s curled body rising higher than Malchior, and burst into a distortion-sphere twice the width of his form.

Robin sent bomb-discs flying at Malchior as Starfire blasted him from her fists and eyes, Raven already starting to force his blast back. Malchior groaned as his wings blocked the others’ attacks, and reinforced his flame attack. Raven strained, moving back through the air as she gritted her teeth, his fiery breath pushing her soulself back.

Rith somersaulted just over the dragon’s head, spinning so violently he really resembled a ball of pale brown color in the core of a distortion. Malchior glanced up, his eyes flaring just as Rith snapped open, staff in his right hand, facing down at the dragon. The distortion sphere exploded with an earth-shattering drone, ring-waves slamming down into Malchior’s head, ramming the dragon straight down toward the water below.

“Booyah!” Cyborg shouted, running to the edge with the others, aiming down with his cannon.

He, Starfire, and Robin rained firepower down on the falling dragon, all of it exploding and striking just as he struck the water with a geyser from the force. Malchior started to recover quickly, Rith adding his own blasts of sound to the others’ attacks, but Raven shot down the front of the tower, her hands out to the sides as her cloak streamed along her legs. “Azarath metrion _zinthos_!” She halted in the air, legs rushing forward, and wrenched her arms across each other.

Pillars of black water erupted from the bay in front of Malchior, and slammed into his head from below on either side, forming an ‘X’ almost instantly, snapping his head back and forcing him to reel with a pained shout. Malchior growled, his eyes glowing as he prepared to attack Raven again. Beast Boy shot off the roof of the tower that moment, rushing into an eagle form, and flew high above the dragon. The dark beast himself curled his wings forward to block Raven’s blast of soulself, and when he snapped them wide, a dome-wave of dark power erupted from his own body, blasting water away as it ripped toward Raven. She drove her hands down, still glowing with dark power as they clawed toward the ground, and a wall of water erupted ahead of her, resisting the dome-wave as it struck with a shuddering _boom_.

A loud moan sounded from above, and Malchior glanced up. His spell dissipated with shock as a massive, green whale fell on him, smashing both down into the water. Raven’s eyes flared. “Beast Boy, watch out!”

The whale sweat-dropped before it flew off, away from the tower, Malchior bursting out of the water violently, his wings snapping free with a roar of irritation. The whale crashed into the deeper water further out, and vanished beneath the surface. Malchior chuckled, one wing rising up to block blast-discs, star-bolts, and sonic blasts from the three Titans still on the roof. He rushed at Raven, who landed in the shallow water to form a dome-shield of her own. He rammed his snout into it, making Raven wince, and he drew back with his neck.

Suddenly, Rith dropped down, the water splashing out from his feet as he landed ahead of Raven, staff raised in front of himself, one hand posed with focus. Malchior focused on the blind boy, whose expression was dark and determined. The dragon smirked, and inhaled. With a snap of his head, his maw snapped open… but no roar came out, his eyes blinked open.

Rith smirked faintly. “That’s right… roar.”

A sonic explosion sent water flying for hundreds of meters, Malchior reeling back, Rith shielding he and Raven from the falling water with a semi-visible dome of sound.

Robin looked to his alien friend. “Starfire, give me a lift down there?”

“Gladly!” She took his arms, and Cyborg leapt down with them, crashing to his haunches on the small island around the base of the tower, quickly running to join Raven and Rith in the shallow water.

Malchior roared with fury, splashing out of the water, stomping toward them. The water down to his right exploded around a massive green jaw. A prehistoric crocodile erupted, biting Malchior around the neck, nearly his equal in size. Malchior roared, but the massive dinosaur simply wrenched him down into the water, snapping the dragon over itself, slamming its back into the shallow water ahead of the other Titans.

Beast Boy reformed, up to his knees in water. “Raven taught you a lesson already, now we _all_ get to deal with you.” His rare grim mood was showing.

The other Titans surrounded Malchior in the shallow water, the dragon raising his head to glower at Raven herself. Cyborg had his cannon trained, Starfire was ready with star and eye-bolts, Robin had blast-discs in his hands, and Rith stood by with his staff calmly resting one end in the shallow water.

Malchior finally chuckled. “You fools understand so little. The real villain here is her… She’ll ruin your world.”

Raven’s face firmed, but the others were completely unfazed. Robin just took a step closer. “So Slade _did_ wake you up. Raven told us what Trigon wants. You can tell him he isn’t getting it. Slade, you, Trigon. You’re all going down, just like any other monster or crook.”

“We’ll see about that…”

The Titans braced back as the dragon shot out of the water, rushing high into the air, already starting to fly past the tower. Raven took off as well, power blazing in her eyes as she flew over the tower directly, the distant bridge ahead of Malchior as she chased him. “You’re not escaping! I won’t let you wreak more havoc!” She shouted, blasting her soulself at him from behind. Coils of shadow wrapped around his body, wings, and neck, yanking him to a halt.

Beast Boy turned into a bird, Starfire gripped Robin and Cyborg in her left and right hands, and they took off with Rith to back Raven up. The pale girl herself had landed on the roof, gritting her teeth as she struggled to pull Malchior back from the bridge. The others landed around her, but just then Malchior wrenched free. Raven gasped, stumbling back as her soulself was wrenched painfully.

“Raven?” Rith asked with concern, standing near her.

“I’ll be okay,” she muttered, holding her head for a moment.

When Malchior turned around, building flame in swirls and vortices ahead of his body, within his wings, Raven lowered her fists and stared at him firmly. A few of Cyborg and Starfire’s attacks just vanished against his building spell. Her cloak rippling, Raven took point, summoning power around her hands as she spread her legs, her cloak starting to flail behind her. “I’m not sure how long I can block that spell…” she admitted gravely.

As the other braced to support her effort, Rith’s brow creased. He looked back to the city, then to the other Titans with Raven, and abruptly took off, shooting toward the city. Malchior roared, snapping his head down and his wings apart more forcefully. A wall of fire exploded toward the roof of Titan Tower. Raven screamed, ramming her hands forward. A stream burst out, and blossomed into a wall as it flew to meet the massive fire spell, the two colliding with a rushing roar. Raven strained her throat, her feet starting to skid slowly back on the cement roof as Malchior pressed in with his spell. The others simply couldn’t add enough to help.

Robin glanced back at last, his brow creasing. “…Rith…” The boy was missing. He knew Rith would never leave Raven in danger like this, so what was going on?

Raven’s mouth opened as she cried out, flaring more power into her counter spell with her soulself, but after pausing the wall of fire, she started to lose ground again. “I…can’t… hold this…”

Cyborg ran to the side of the roof, ripped up a whole air-processor, the size of a small car, and grunted as he tossed it at Malchior. The dragon’s wing blocked it, but Starfire had flown high, and was raining green power down on him. His spell started to weaken. Cyborg started to fire his cannon, just to support their effort, the other Titans attack from around the spells as Raven handled the frontal attack.

Robin leapt back, and shouted up to their flying friend, “Starfire! We’ve got to break his focus!”

She flew down rapidly, Cyborg running to join Robin, and the alien girl grabbed them both by one hand again, quickly flying around to come in at Malchior from his right side. Raven prepared a push with her spell as she watched them go, Beast Boy waiting tensely as he tried to think of how to help. Starfire’s eyes blazed with power as she drew close, and swirled around with a building shout, swinging her two friends in at the dragon like a pinwheel. Malchior glanced at them, his visible eye flaring just before Cyborg’s robotic boot slammed into his snout, “ _Booyah_!!!” immediately followed by a two-leg ram from Robin.

The flame spell broke, Raven ramming Malchior back with the last rush of her power. Starfire quickly flew back to the roof, letting Robin and Cyborg down, just in time to see Raven slip down to her knees. Beast Boy was at her side that instant. “Raven! Are you gonna be okay?”

She nodded weakly. “I’m worn out, though… I don’t how much more I can do… Where’s Rith?” she asked, noticing his absence from the roof.

Robin hurried up to her with the others. “He’s been gone for a while now. I don’t know what’s going on.” He glanced up. “Watch out!”

The Titans split to the sides, Raven and Beast Boy diving left, Robin and the others to the right. A blast of flame scorched the roof between them, and Malchior laughed. The Titans rose up to attack, but when Cyborg tried to fire his cannon, nothing happened. He blinked, glancing down at the barrel. He tried to say “What the-!?”, but his voice never reached the air.

Raven tried to call out, but abruptly they all realized it had become completely silent. Looking up to Malchior, they saw him roaring… without any sound coming out. The dragon paused, confused, and then they saw him focus back to the city. Everyone looked back as well, and even Raven’s eyes widened at the sight.

Writhing above the city, nearly as large itself, was a massive distortion. It was drawing itself out of everything making a noise for miles, out past the bridge, across the bay, every corner of the city. It was a massive sonic build-up. Unseen for the distance, Rith floated in the center of it, his hands gripping his staff, his hair and cloak writhing up from his body. He lowered his head, brow creased, and ‘saw’ Malchior preparing another spell, sound or not. With a sharp jerk, her twisted his staff horizontal, and rammed his arms forward, his entire body pitching from the motion.

With a snapping rush, the entire distortion, continuing the draw on everything in sight, burst into a solid beam of warped air, rocketing over the city, across the bay, between the shocked Titans… and straight into Malchior. At impact, a tone of such raw power and density emanated that the sound-wave was actually visible. Malchior contorted around the body-blow, the beam ramming him back like a bullet-train as more ring-waves shot out, rupturing the water below, but distorting around the bridge to avoid damaging it.

The sheer force of the sound was blasting wind across the top of Titan Tower, the team looking back at the source of the beam of sound with shocked understanding. Beast Boy blinked his eyes wide. “He was sucking up all the noise just to blast Malchior…”

Raven exhaled, starting to recover her strength already. “We were distracting Malchior, so he took the chance to build up this attack.” She found herself wondering why it hadn’t already occurred to her, and she smirked a bit, but then stood up, facing Malchior again as he tried to resist the unbelievably strong sonic blast. The distortions in the city started to a fade, and a bulge formed at the base of the sonic stream. It abruptly ripped toward Malchior, the stream no longer present in its wake. Rith himself was the base of the sonic beam now, and he was ripping toward Malchior with his staff ready. Raven and Starfire took flight as the bulge shot past the tower, Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy rushing up to the edge of the roof.

The dragon almost doubled over despite his spells as Rith slammed into him bodily with his staff, enhanced with super-sonic power. Star-bolts and soulself were already flying at Malchior, but the dragon reached in and grabbed Rith, yanking the boy out into the air with a shout of pain, his staff flying off. Raven’s eyes flared. “Rith!”

Malchior growled down at the boy. “Quite a bit of power, human. I have a message for you!” He suddenly dove toward the water, the fist holding Rith raised to hit the water first. At such a speed, Rith would be dead on impact.

“NO!” Raven shouted, and shot down with Starfire. Green power plowed into Malchior’s back, but Raven herself shot down in front of him, between the dragon and the water, and sent a black-engulfed staff into the dragon’s face.

Reeling with pain from the stinging blow, Malchior was halted, and Raven used her power to wrench Rith free of his crushing grip. The blind boy used his power to float near Raven, his staff flying back to his waiting hand as her power faded from it. He smiled. “Thank you, Raven.”

“I owed you,” she replied with a faint smirk.

Starfire beam-blasted Malchior in his back, but he just roared, and flew toward the tower again. She shot off to continue attacking him, a building shout emanating from her small body as power practically poured off her fists. She rammed them forward as she came closer to the tower, unleashing a massive beam of green energy into the dragon’s back. Malchior grunted, snapping around her strike, but recovered quickly, flying up ahead of the tower as she rejoined Robin and the others on the roof.

Rith and Raven flew to join the battle again themselves. Raven looked to the blind boy. “Can you manage another powerful attack?”

“How much do you need?” he only asked in response.

“Enough from you to block one of his fire attacks. I have an idea.”

“Then you shall have that attack,” he replied with a confident smile.

Raven found herself smiling back, and then they focused on their task. Malchior was just drawing from the tower as they reached it, building another breath attack. Raven quickly landed. “Rith and I are going to hit him hard. We’ll need some support for this to really matter.”

Cyborg charged his cannon. “You got it, girl. Let’s do this.”

She and Rith shared a look, and they flew to meet Malchior. Cyborg paused, glancing down at the water, and then looked to Robin. “Got an idea of my own, got a cryo-disc?”

Robin raised an eyebrow, then smirked. “You have to ask?” He held a blue-tinted disc in his right hand. “Just give the word.”

Malchior roared, unleashing another fire-blast stream. Rith twirled his staff in front of his body, and a wall of sound distorted the flame as it hit, spreading it at impact. Raven flew up on Rith’s left. “Azarath metrion _ZINTHOS_!!!”, and drove her soulself into his sound-wall. Rith was surprised, but found her power engulfing his sound shield. Dark sound obliterated the flame attack, and started to push Malchior back slowly but surely.

Cyborg leapt off the tower. “Robin, gimme some frost!”

“Star, shoot it near the water!” Robin shouted, tossing his cryo-disc down with a snap of his arm.

Starfire flew down, aimed, and blasted the disc above the water just as Cyborg landed. A huge block of ice formed in jagged waves, and he ran up, grabbed it, and wrenched it above his head. Bracing his legs, Cyborg grinned. “Hey fire-breath!”

Malchior glanced down, his brow creasing.

“I think you needs ta _chill_!” He whirled around, and flung the small glacier straight up.

Unable to block properly and maintain his spell, the dragon took the ice straight to his chest, grunting as he reeled. The black sound wall streamed into a rushing beam-attack, and drove him back through the air. Beast Boy warped into a T-Rex, bit off another air-processor, and snapped around, sending it flying, while Starfire and Robin flung star-bolts and blast-discs at the dragon from the roof, Cyborg blasting him from below with his cannon. Thoroughly battered by the onslaught, still driven back by Raven and Rith’s dual attack, Malchior roared in frustration, and a swirling blast of darkness rammed all their attacks away for a moment. “This isn’t over, Raven!” But he swirled around, and shot off, retreating into the sky.

Remaining tense for a few moments, in case the dragon tried to return with a surprise attack, the Titans started to relax. Cyborg used his cord-hand to pull himself back onto the roof, Rith and Raven landing with the others. Raven pulled her hood down, weary but well. “I think I can find another book to seal him in. I’ll start researching it after a bit of rest.”

Robin smiled. “Enjoy your rest, everyone. Great work, team. He may come back, but we proved he shouldn’t be so sure of himself. You two,” he nodded to Raven and Rith, “were amazing. I didn’t know you could use your power on sound, Raven.”

A bit bashful, she gave a wan smile. “Only after Rith makes it so solid. Amplifying each others’ power made us both twice as effective. I knew we were both already worn down… especially after that blast you let off,” she admitted, looking at Rith.

Beast Boy nodded. “No kidding. I didn’t know you could do stuff like that!”

Rith blushed a bit. “…I’m very sorry for abandoning you all to do it, but it seemed the best way for me to help, and I know each of you can handle yourselves.” He gave a particular look to Raven, but sincerely meant the whole team.

Cyborg shrugged. “We knew you wouldn’t leave Raven hangin’,” he said with a badly hidden grin.

The blind boy’s blush only intensified as he dipped his head down. Raven shared the faint humor of the others. Starfire yawned. “I am very glad we have shown the Malchior he is not so powerful, but I am very tired…”

Raven tipped her head. “It was a long fight.”

Rith added, “I’ll watch over the tower. You all should rest.”

Cyborg smirked. “After that attack, I _know_ you need some sleep, Rith. I’m still good to go, I’ll watch over the tower. You guys go relax.”

Robin smiled. “Thanks, Cyborg. Come on, Titans, let’s get some rest.”

As they walked toward the roof exit, Rith glanced to Raven, who looked up at him with subtle curiosity. “…Thank you for saving my life.”

She blushed gently. “You’re welcome, but you’d have done the same. And, like I said… I owed you.”

He was smiling, but shook his head gently. “You owe me nothing. I’m just very glad we’re friends.”

Raven let herself smile back. He was so good at letting her feel comfortable. “Still, I feel like I do.”

The boy laughed gently, tipping his head. “As you say it, madam.”

They all spread to their rooms, Cyborg tapping into the security system to keep an eye on things, and let themselves rest after a successful, however straining, battle.

* * *

In the dripping darkness of a deep cave, Malchior stomped into view within a large cavern. Slade appeared across from him, his visible eye narrowed. The dragon growled. “Tell your master I did as promised. I’m leaving this pathetic planet.”

Slade raised the white book that had held Malchior in his left hand. “Not quite, Malchior. You promised to bring Raven here to me. I don’t see her anywhere.”

The dragon scoffed. “You’d be dust before the curse left your lips, wisp.”

“Would I?” the marked warrior replied with evil humor. “It has become clear to my master that you have little use to us. You couldn’t even get her frustrated, yet alone tap her true power.” He shook his head, lowering the book. “No, Malchior, I have no intention of sealing you away in some dusty old book.” It burst into flames, and fell to the ground as ash.

Malchior chuckled, turned about, and started to leave. He jerked back when the exit burst into hellish flame, and whirled around, seeing the entire cavern flare with unnatural fire, Slade standing in a swirling column of it. The dragon summoned dark energies around his body, but Slade held his hand forward, and crimson energy burst out of the walls around the dragon, coiling around him and engulfing him. The dragon’s last roar was cut off before he simply vanished with the last of the red power, the flames dying away.

Slade chuckled faintly, the mark on his helmet glowing brightly. “A mere beast can not stand against the power of my master. Good bye, Malchior…”


	10. Fate?

Things calmed after Malchior was forced to retreat from Titan Tower. Though the Titans remained wary and followed Robin’s general plan to stay prepared for Slade or Malchior’s return, they were able to relax back into a fairly normal life… for them anyway. Raven spent her free time for over a week researching a viable book to curse Malchior back into, none of them aware of the dread dragon’s fate at Slade and Trigon’s hands.

Rith further proved himself a very helpful member of the team as they handled a few common crooks. He often teamed up with Cyborg or Raven, amplifying each other’s powers for various effects. The blind boy gained a new respect for Starfire’s skills when she rescued him after a nasty sonic-shock to his senses, flying him out of a collapsing crane’s path before he was crushed. He treated her to one of her favorite Tamaranian dishes that night, and apparently he did a very good job, because she mentioned something about it being ‘as good as her dear Gizorksnatch made it’. Rith was glad she seemed to like it, but didn’t bother to get into the exact nature of a ‘gizorksnatch’.

Two weeks after Malchior was sent packing, the Titans were on a mission to deal with a gang of high-tech thieves. The trouble alert had come in from a security electronics company, and the Titans were on the scene in minutes. The rather large gang was spread out on several levels of the corporate building, forcing the Titans to split up to avoid losing most of the crooks when they moved in.

Starfire flew up behind a handful of them as they tried to cut into a thick security vault. They were all dressed in black suits with red visors, only twisting around when green light filled the room around them, Starfire’s eyes and fists glowing. “You should not steal this equipment. Please stand down.” Her warning was a bit weakened by her sincerely pleading tone and adorable voice.

Snide in his response, the group leader nodded at her. “Let ‘er have it!”

Two of them threw black spheres at Starfire, and she braced back, assuming them to be explosives. They did explode, but gray goo engulfed her, sticking to the ceiling and floor. The thieves chuckled amongst themselves, just starting to turn back to their work, when the goo ruptured with green light, and burst apart, splattering the walls as Starfire loomed up in the dispersing power, her expression quite firm this time as her glowing fists waited down on either side. “I did try to warn you.” Her arms jerked back, and she unleashed a wave-blast of star-energy, ramming the men back into the wall. She let her hands down and her eyes fade as they slipped to the floor, unconscious. Pulling out her communicator, she activated it. “Starfire here. Top level secure.”

“Great work, Star,” Robin replied, obviously busy with some activity himself. “Come down and help us out if you can!”

“Gladly!”

The comm shut off, and Robin ducked a swipe from a glowing, red, energy rod wielded by another thief. Two others were still hacking into the computer behind the fighting thief as Robin was kept busy. With gritted teeth, the boy wonder finally leapt out, batting the energy-staff down, and slammed his left boot into the thief’s mask. The man grunted, flung back onto the ground, and Robin snapped his arms down from his shoulders as he landed, his cape flaring as cryodiscs flew out, exploding with weaker charges near the other two thieves, freezing them in place. They struggled, shouting complaints, but Robin smirked and dusted his hands off one another. “Stay frosty, the cops will be right here to pick you up.”

Whipping out his communicator as he ran to the stairs, the masked hero continued, “Titans, level twelve secure. Report!”

Raven’s voice came back, her usual dry humor coming through, “The rest of us have pushed the main group onto level seven. They have just enough toys to be annoying.”

Robin smirked. “Got it. Star and I should be there in a few seconds! Robin out!”

Raven let the comm shut off, and floated to her right, a red blast shooting past her as several thieves flitted through various super-computers, firing with energy guns or throwing various offensive devices at her, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Rith. Trying to avoid destroying the valuable computers was keeping both sides of the conflict rather impaired. Cyborg ducked a blaster bolt, and ran up to Beast Boy, the pair of them on the left side of the super-computer network in the center of the large room, Rith at the back, Raven the front, the right wall solid with no exits. “We gotta get in at them, force ‘em out. B, you think you can pull it off?”

Beast Boy grinned as he warped back to himself from a wolf. “Dude, I was born for this stuff! Just watch me work the magic…” he struck a pose, and then warped into a spider, quickly scuttling into the computer area.

Cyborg just shook his head, ducked another bolt, and fired a warning shot down a row of computers, not really aiming to hit anything except the far wall. Raven narrowed her glowing eyes as she caught one thief leaning out from cover. He jerked with surprise when his gun turned black, snapped out of his hands, and whacked him across the head before both hit the ground. Rith, for his part, knew exactly where they all were, but could do little to attack them without damaging the computers themselves. He did give sharp sonic blows to several thieves as they popped out from cover, but they recovered quite quickly. It just wasn’t doing much good.

Beast Boy, still a spider, dropped down on one thief’s head, who jerked, swiped at his head with his hands until one of the others pointed at him. “It’s just a bug, man, keep shooting!”

“Bug!?” the victim yelled, and suddenly ran out from cover, screaming as he wildly whacked at his own head.

He was cut short by a metal arm clothes-lining him as he ran out of the network area, Beast Boy leaping off and reforming to share a grin with Cyborg. “One down!”

Robin and Starfire shot into the room that moment. “Holed up, huh?” the team leader asked quickly, landing beneath Raven.

The dark girl remained gravely floating, her eyes sharp beneath her hood’s shadow. “Yep. It might take a while to pick them all off.”

Rith of course could hear all of this, and he finally smirked a little. “Robin,” he modified his voice, making it generate out of the air near Robin’s ear, “have a smoke-bomb handy?”

Robin smirked. “You have to ask?” He already had a particular blast-disc in his hand. “What do you need?” He spoke at normal volume, knowing Rith would hear. Starfire was backing Cyborg up, shooting warning shots down the alleys between the computers.

“Central blast, cover the network area itself. I’ll make them scatter, and we’ll all pick ‘em off.”

Robin braced down with a confident smile. “Sounds good. Where’s Beast Boy?”

Another thief ran out, struggling with a green spider monkey, until Starfire bopped him on the head, and she and Beast Boy gave their leader the thumbs-up.

“Rith, now!” Robin shouted, tossing the blast disc high above the computers, where it exploded, gray smoke filling the center of the room almost immediately.

Inside the smoked-out network, the thieves braced, waiting for it to dissipate.

“Get out of here!”

“Where? Why?”

A scream sounded, the thieves starting to freak out.

“Where’s Don?”

“He’s gone man, I can’-“ the voice vanished.

“Jake!? What’s going on!”

One of the thieves was shivering, and he finally dropped his gun and ran. “Get the heck out of here! They’re gone man!”

“No, stick together! We just have to-!”

“Boss!? Aw that’s it. RUN!”

The thieves started dashing out of the smoke-ridden computer area, stumbling down in front of the waiting Titans on each side. Robin and Starfire smiled calmly down at the leader as he finally stumbled out onto the floor. The boy wonder simply crossed his arms. “We’ll accept your surrender for the cops now.”

Just a half-hour later, the Titans were walking back into their tower, though Starfire remained floating, and were sharing humor over the successful mission. Robin looked over to Rith, who was simply smiling at the happy voices all around him. “Rith, that was some technique you pulled off. What exactly were you doing?”

The blind boy chuckled faintly as he moved with his staff. “I just cut off a few voices here, added some screams there, made them panic with sounds from nothing.”

“It was really effective. Less violence was needed to take out a dangerous gang.”

Rith was blushing a bit, Raven glancing at him sidelong with a faint smile of her own as they all kept walking. The boy scratched the back of his head. “Just helping out, like everyone else…”

Robin grinned back. “I know, but I’m serious. You’re a real asset to the team, Rith. I’m glad you’ve decided to stay.”

Cyborg stepped up, patting Rith on the back of the shoulder. The half-robotic boy’s strength made Rith almost fall over even so, but both were smiling. “He’s right, Rith, my man. Don’t dis your own skills.” He moved around him with a light wave. “I’m gonna go tweak the T-Car in my workshop. Y’all take care.”

Raven gave them others a faint smile again. “I better go continue my research. I don’t want to make a foolish mistake next time Malchior shows up.” She floated off.

Rith was left with a fond smile as she left, leaving Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy to share a knowing grin of their own. They remained silent on the matter as he made his way to his own room, however. Once he was out of sight, Starfire giggled. “It is most adorable how Rith responds to Raven. They are very good friends!”

Beast Boy grinned. “You’re right. It’s nice to see Raven relax, even with all this craziness going down. I’m really glad he came along.”

Robin nodded. “Exactly. Come on, Beast Boy, let’s play some Game-Station. I didn’t have to wear myself out taking down thieves.” The three of them laughed as Starfire was happy to follow them up to the living room.

* * *

“I can fly myself after you. I feel bad taking your seat,” Rith attempted once more. It was a few days later, and the Titans were gathered in the tower’s garage, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy already in the T-Car, Rith standing near it with Robin and Cyborg. He was addressing the leader as he donned his helmet and slipped one leg over his motorcycle.

Robin smirked. “Don’t worry about it Rith. I haven’t gotten a chance to ride for a few nights anyway. Enjoy the ride yourself.”

Cyborg grinned. “No kidding, you’ll get to relax with the sound system you helped me tweak instead of testing it for once!”

Rith chuckled lightly, finally nodding to the half-metal young man. “Fair enough. I appreciate it.” Walking to the car, he looked inside. “Would one of you like the front passenger seat, though?”

Cyborg slipped into the driver seat as Beast Boy grinned. “I wouldn’t mind, dude!”

The blind boy just smiled as Beast Boy climbed into the front passenger seat, Starfire scooted into the center of the back, and Rith got in opposite Raven. Cyborg started the car, Robin revved his cycle, and they took off, soon reaching a main road. Rith settled his staff down beside his leg, one end resting on his shoulder thanks to the angle. Though pleasant, his new friends were a bit somber at the purpose of the team trip. They were visiting Terra. Rith had been reading up on the records Cyborg and Robin kept in the tower’s computer, so he knew the basic facts of Terra’s story, and could gather that Beast Boy had a particular affinity for her.

As calm and emotionally cool as Rith was most of the time, he sympathized with Terra’s situation. Thinking on how she had suffered from a bad combination of factors, he let his head loll faintly toward the window as Cyborg let some fun, light music play on his mastered stereo system. He, Beast Boy, and Starfire started playing a game, spotting letters or numbers on cars they passed by, but Raven took the chance to glance over at Rith silently, Starfire leaning forward with eagerness. The cloak-clad, staff-toting boy seemed very thoughtful, a touch sad, and unusually passive. She wanted to talk to him, ask him what he was thinking about, but the situation in the car made it difficult tactfully. Having to talk across Starfire about obviously personal matters was simply too awkward to bother.

Less than a half-hour later, Cyborg pulled the car to a stop near a dirt path, Robin’s cycle moaning to a halt nearby. The Titans got out of and off their respective vehicles, gathering in a group before heading down the path. Beast Boy was carrying some fresh flowers, which further demonstrated to Rith how uniquely the green shape-shifter cared for the lost girl. The group remained unusually quiet as they entered the cave. Rith kept himself aware of their surroundings, falling back to the rear of the procession.

Raven let herself pull back near him as well, and spoke in a low whisper. “You alright?”

He was touched by her concern, smiling gently with raised eyebrows, but simply nodded. “Sympathetic. I was close to suffering the same fate as Terra, but I met with aid when it mattered most.”

The purple-haired girl grew gently curious. “How do you mean… if I may?”

Rith shrugged gently. “I was taken in by a kind and disciplined old man. He taught me how to control myself, and thus my power and my body. I was sent on many journeys by him, to gain experience of the world, and finally, some years ago, he let me head out for good.”

Raven’s expression remained softened from her usual calm focus. “Do you miss him?”

Rith gave another soft nod. Raven realized what it probably meant, but they had just reached Terra’s cavern, and neither wished to detract from remembering the fallen heroine. The whole team walked up the promontory of stone leading to Terra, her body frozen as stone on a natural dais, her ultimate release of power saving the city… at the cost of herself.

As Beast Boy walked up, quietly replacing the flowers, Rith felt the etched sign the Titans had placed near the girl’s stone feet. “Terra, A Teen Titan; A True Friend” Raising his head, the blind boy listened as Beast Boy spoke.

“Hey Terra… sorry it’s been so long. You wouldn’t believe how crazy things have gotten since you took care of Slade… Don’t worry, we’ll make sure he remembers to stay down real soon…”

Robin nodded faintly. “We miss you, Terra, but we’ll never forget you.”

The newest member of the team focused on the girl’s stone body, and let his senses gather the inner nature of her form. She had been perfectly transfigured into rock, her organs, brain, even her very veins and arteries were perfectly intact, like her frozen hair, still thrashing in an eternal moment of raging power. He could feel the pain of her exertion still etched into her taut face.

Raven glanced down from Terra herself, her brow creasing faintly. She felt guilty, partially responsible for Terra’s current state. Though her anger had been justified, she had turned on the girl completely, and since Beast Boy had proven right about Terra, the land-mover regaining her goodness at the end, saving them all when it mattered most, she was pained by her actions, her feelings. _We still haven’t found a way to bring her back… if there even is one…_ She turned her face down to the left, her fists clenching. _Slade comes back from the dead, and I can’t even help her come back to normal._ A flash of the vision, the message, with all her friends as stone, so much like Terra really was in front of her, made Raven almost choke on a sudden sob. She could feel the marks forming in her palms.

Quickly, she turned aside, pulling her hood up, and kept her hands back in her cloak, just standing there quietly. Rith, of course, noticed her behavior, but said nothing, nor moved to show he’d noticed. There were times when sorrow simply had to run its course, and he had a surprisingly shrewd notion of exactly what had upset Raven so abruptly.

The Titans each took a turn speaking, Cyborg and Starfire following Robin. Raven finally walked up as the others pulled back a bit. “…You earned our trust back,” she whispered, and quickly pulled back to the others.

Rith, for his part, respectfully bowed to Terra, whispering some form of prayer or message to her the others couldn’t make out. As they all watched him, Raven glanced to Beast Boy around the edge of her hood. He was just looking on with calm, faint happiness, glad to visit Terra. She remembered how happy he and Terra had been, how well they got along. Her right hand came out of her cloak, and she glanced down at it silently. _Terra…_

When their last team member finished paying his respects, the Titans started to depart, Rith falling to the back again as they made their way back to their vehicles. Raven stepped up to the T-Car near the same door she’d used to get in when they left the tower, but turned her head quickly when a soft hand touched her shoulder. Calm emotion reached her mind before her eyes registered Rith’s calm smile.

It was just a moment, and it was nothing more than his simple expression and faint nod to her, but it brought great comfort to her aching heart, and she found her eyes following Rith as he walked around, letting Starfire choose where she would sit (the center again), and then getting in himself. Raven’s lavender eyes returned to reality, and she slipped down into the T-Car herself, her hood down at last. She looked down at her hand once more as Cyborg started off, Robin falling in behind on his bike, and then focused out through the window calmly. There was something else she needed to research beyond another book to hold Malchior…

* * *

The next day, in the afternoon, Raven sat on her bed, one knee tapping off the cover idly as she leaned over a large tome, carefully reading down the expansive page on her left. Arrayed around her room were dozens of such books, more than the usual shelved quantities. She had obviously been delving into research for some time since Malchior’s return, though, at the moment, she was not looking for information to use against the dread dragon. Her lips puckered to the side as she pondered a particular sentence, but then her brow creased. She shut the book with a sigh, dragged another across the bed to her crossed legs, and opened it.

Then her door knocked. She paused, exhaled wearily with her frame sinking, and pushed her new book aside, slipping off her bed. The door slid open partially, exposing her grave façade to whoever it was. Her expression softened abruptly with a steaming cup of tea rose up in front of her face, Rith’s calm smile behind it.

“You’ve been cooped up in there since morning, I thought you might like some tea.”

Raven let the door slid open completely, a bit awkward and feeling rude as she gently took the cup from his hands. “Uh… thanks… sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” He remained perfectly pleasant, and then started to leave.

Her eyebrows rose, and she looked up at him again. “W-wait… Rith…”

He paused, turning back to her with light curiosity on his face.

Raven was already blushing a bit as she turned in her doorway, gesturing inside. “Did you… want to come in?”

The boy’s kind smile returned. “Do you _want_ me to?”

Her shoulders relaxed with a wan smile as she let her eyes close. The tea smelled quite good. “…I could use a break from reading,” she admitted finally, holding the cup with both hands before looking back to his face.

“I would be honored,” Rith replied, and returned to her, following her deeper into her room as the door softly shut in his wake. Feeling the books, he became a little amused. “Quite a bit of research you’ve been doing.”

Raven smiled a subtly, sitting down on her bed. “There’s a chair over…” she let her voice finish as Rith simply sat down on the floor ahead of her, carefully laying his staff down, apparently concerned he might disturb something. She was rather appreciative of his effort, and sipped her tea. “Mmm, it’s good. Thank you.”

“I’m glad,” the young man answered, and she had no doubt of his sincerity.

She found herself smiling as she let the cup down into her lap. “Sorry… I just felt…”

“Isolated?” he offered gently, an eyebrow raised.

Raven smirked a bit. “Yeah…”

“I must say, I’m quite surprised you let me inside your room.” He turned his head, as if looking around. “It’s very nice, actually. You have a good sense of aesthetic, your decorations are very subtle, but create a great deal of mood.”

The girl found herself blushing a bit, awkward humor in her voice. “You think so, huh?”

He grinned in good humor.

“Most people find it a bit ‘dark’.”

“I’m always in the dark,” the boy retorted, quite amused with himself.

Raven was warmly mixed between being sympathetic and sharing his humor. “Right…” She glanced down at the book she’d just started when he arrived. Her brow creased faintly. “I never thought about it… you can’t read,” she muttered gently, looking back to him with concern. Reading was one of the few sincere joys in her life, she couldn’t bear the idea of living without some kind of book to delve through and study.

Rith tipped his head, but continued to smile. “Perhaps not, but I hear music in the air, and feel things most people can’t even imagine,” his voice became quite wistful as he finished.

The young woman smiled gently. “You always see the good in a situation, don’t you?”

He shrugged easily. “The bad is going to come up anyway, so why look for it?”

Raven actually giggled. It was so natural she surprised herself, blushing with widened eyes abruptly. “S-sorry… I wasn’t…”

Rith’s smile was bright. “Please don’t apologize. I’ve rarely heard such a lovely sound.”

Though blushing, she eased a bit, looking at him warmly. “You’re very kind, Rith.” She held up the tea-cup, then took a sip. “I’m grateful.” She looked down, her sincerity almost overpowering as she thought on all the pains in her heart, and how he helped, however subtly, to ease them off her mind, to remind her of the joy she had found as well.

“Happy to help, madam,” the boy replied with warm truthfulness of his own. After she smiled back and took another sip, he tilted his head, and then asked, “May I ask what you were reading before I so rudely interrupted?”

His self-deprecating yet light humor made her smirk a bit, and she nodded. “Sure. I was reading on some of the basic rules of alchemy when focused on stone.”

Rith smiled with a calm depth in his emotion that made Raven pause as she looked at him. “You’re a very good person, Raven.”

Her head pulled back a bit as she blushed. “I don’t know if I can actually help her…”

“But you’re trying,” Rith persisted simply, eyebrows up. “Further proof that what Slade and Trigon are after is a failure waiting to happen.”

Raven looked down, cupping her tea in her hands softly. “I hope so…”

The blind boy rose forward, coming up to her bed on his knees, and softly took her right hand out in his own. She looked at him in mute surprise, and then blushed with a soft inhale as he kissed her fingers, as he had when they first met. This time it affected her quite a bit as he smiled warmly up at her. “Dear Raven, do not despair. I believe you are destined for great things, that miracles are waiting to be wrought by your lovely hands,” he gained some gentle humor as he curled her fingers over with his own. “Like any good person, you will be tested in your life. There will be times when all seems lost, but you can stand strong. Even if you can’t see the light, it’s there, bright and clear.”

Raven could not explain why his words struck her so deeply, affected her heart so, but she sat there, one hand held in his, the other holding her tea in her lap, her mouth slack, a blush on her cheeks, and her eyes gently widened into Rith’s unique gaze. “…Even if I can’t see it…”

He nodded with a smooth, slow gesture.

“…But… how do I know without seeing?” she asked, her voice tightened. She was really begging for an answer, and this time she knew he could give it to her.

His face softened warmly, and he uttered one word, “Trust.”

She stopped, realization, the acceptance of a truth she long understood but never, yet, truly comprehended, washing over her sorrowful but hopeful face. Rith gently held her hand. “That’s why Trigon and Slade can’t defeat you, Raven. You _do_ trust.”

Her lips pressed together, and she nodded in a faint manner. “I trust my friends…”

Rith smiled still, and then asked her, “So can you trust yourself?”

“Myself?” she repeated weakly, her mind changing, adapting to a new way of looking at itself. She relaxed a bit. “I have a darkside… but I _do_ trust my friends.”

The boy seemed so happy for her. “Yes… You love your family very much, Raven. I can see it in your heart.”

Raven focused into his eyes, where they should have been. “Thank you, Rith… I’m not sure what I would have done without you around…”

“One of your wonderful friends would have helped you figure it out,” he replied happily. “We all need help at times, even just to hear something we already know from another, to make it real to us. You’re so intelligent, Raven, you would have been fine. If I have helped ease the process, then I am very glad.”

Resting the tea-cup in her lap, Raven reached out with her other hand, and rested it over his. “Then be glad,” she finally conceded, moisture welling up in her eyes.

She saw him smile in a manner that she realized meant he was near tears himself, grateful for her kindness, though she couldn’t see where she had been kind. When a tear seeped free of one of her lavender eyes, she felt his hand slip out from under hers, and a soft caress brush the droplet off her pale cheek. “Such a sweet young woman you are,” he whispered warmly.

Raven just closed her eyes, exhaling. She could actually relax, let go, ease completely with his kind, patient help. She softly slipped out of her reverie a vague moment later, his hand softly patting hers. “Let me take that cup to the kitchen for you.”

She actually giggled a bit, how easily he behaved around her, how much he _didn’t_ take for granted. She handed him the cup with a soft nod. “Thank you for the tea… and the talk. They really helped.”

The boy just bowed to her, staff in hand, and left her room with a soft ripple of his cloak around the doorway. Raven exhaled, relaxed and calm, and went back to reading on her bed, a faint smile lingering on her pale lips.

* * *

For a few days the tower was quiet. Thankfully few crimes were big enough to call for the Titans’ help, and they could relax a bit, tending to their personal interests. Raven continued her research, and was starting to make some progress, but knew she was still missing many key pieces of understanding that would make any attempts to help Terra foolish. Reading a particular book by candle-light in her room, Raven winced a bit, her head swimming abruptly. She leaned over her legs, putting the book aside, and pressed her hands to the covers of her bed, breathing heavily. “S-something’s… wrong…”

Opening her eyes, she felt both uncomfortably hot, and yet cold as ice. Finally, she raised her hands from the bed, turning them over to see the runes blazing brighter than ever on her skin. Controlled panic etched into her face, her eyes wavering.

With a start, Raven gasped as her head shot upright, her hands lowering from looking at them, her room thrumming with a trouble alert. The markings were gone from her skin, but she still had dampness from sweat just glistening on her temples. Dread filled her mind. A trouble alert after a flash of the markings? She steeled herself, her expression turning grim as her hands clenched. “I’m not running away from this.”

Flying off her bed, she rushed to find the others.

Not an hour later, the six Titans were making their way into a warehouse on the pier. It was large, dark, and effectively empty. Robin had his staff ready, Starfire floating with Raven, their mutual powers glowing in anticipation, Cyborg had his cannon active, and Beast Boy was already a large gorilla. Rith simply moved with his usual focus, staff in hand. Robin looked around keenly. “Remember, team, this might be Slade.” Raven had warned the others about her worrisome experience before the trouble alert. She couldn’t risk their being ambushed, especially since they already knew the truth.

“I can’t sense him yet,” Rith commented gravely. His tone made the others uncomfortably aware that it didn’t guarantee anything with Slade’s powers.

In the end, it didn’t matter anyway. The ceiling in the center of the warehouse burst into flames, and Slade dropped down to his haunches ahead of them. The Titans spread as they faced him, bracing for a fight. Raven in particular kept her power writhing. Slade, however, chuckled as he stood up. “Raven, I have wonderful news.”

Her eyes wavered.

“That’s right, child.” His head tilted back, revealing the dark pleasure in his visible eye all too well. “The preparations are complete. The time has come.”

“It can’t be already…” Raven whispered, more shocked than afraid.

Robin twirled his staff. “All it means is that we have to take him down all the faster. Titans, GO!”

He didn’t have to repeat himself. Rith shot off like a bolt, Starfire and Raven racing their powers to Slade with the blind boy, Cyborg and Robin unloading all their firepower while Beast Boy charged ahead as a cheetah. The powers and explosives struck with thunderous effect, Rith shooting through their smoke, only to have his staff ram into a shield of fiery power ahead of Slade’s calmly standing body. The shield didn’t even buckle. Slade focused up on the blind boy. “As impressive as you are, child, I have no time for your games today.” He just raised his hand at Rith, grave focus on the boy’s scarred face just before he was sent rocketing away with a flash of power.

“Rith!” Raven called in alarm, aiming one hand toward his flying body as she gritted her teeth. Her soulself engulfed him, and let Rith down, but the boy could barely keep himself up on his hands and knees. Noting his weariness, Raven shot at Slade herself, charging in with the others.

A green elephant swiped at Slade, but struck the shield as well, moaning from the impact. The armored servant aimed his fists forward to either side, and beams of power rather than raw flame erupted from the shield, blasting Robin and Cyborg back violently. Starfire and Raven caught them, but both boys were barely conscious from the vicious attacks. Sharing a stern look across the warehouse, the two girls summoned their energies, screamed in unison, and unleashed, eye-beams and soulself ripping through the air in twin streams of power. Beast Boy had become a ram, battering the shield, but quickly leapt back when the young women’s power struck. The air reverberated with the impact, black and green waves coalescing in the air, but when the girls’ relaxed their attacks, Slade was still there, unfazed. Raven felt a pang of fear and doubt as her hand slowly lowered, her eyes tightening. “…We can’t stop him.”

Cyborg groaned, sitting up from her supporting arm and leg. “Now don’t go spoutin’ that nonsense again, Ray.” He pushed himself up, cannon ready. “Ain’t nobody letting that zombie take you anywhere or do anything.”

Rith shot in again, a sonic explosion ripping into the ground, reaching the walls and ceiling in a heart-beat as he curled over one end of his staff, the other resting against the rippling surface of Slade’s shield. The boy was grimacing with exertion, and clearly sensed his complete lack of effect, but remained undaunted.

Ice blew across the shield from a cryo-disc, and green, blue, and black power slammed into the fire-bubble around Rith. The blind boy dropped, hopped back, and sent a distortion blast into the same target as Beast Boy, a T-Rex, yanked a girder from the ceiling and swung it down into the top of the shield as well. The ground shook from the onslaught, but as Beast Boy reverted and the others relaxed their assaults, Slade simply stepped through the dispersing dust, hands behind his back, the character on his forehead glowing brilliantly.

The warehouse went dead-silent as Rith jerked back, bracing his legs to the sides, hands, one holding his staff, back near his shoulders, distortion emanating from his body as his hair and clothes flailed. He rammed his hands forward, staff angled in the right fist, and a wall of sound rushed at Slade. The dark warrior just kept walking, the sound wave engulfing him as if nothing more than an illusion or playful trick of light. The others were shocked, but Rith just relaxed his power with a dismal expression. “I should have anticipated that…”

Slade’s fiery aura became clear as his eye narrowed with pleasure. “Yes… you should have.” He came within a meter of Rith, and then both flickered, the other Titans just rushing to their friend’s aid.

Appearing past Rith, one hand gripping the boy’s back, his body tensed down toward the others, Slade allowed himself a chuckle. Rith grimaced, grunting as his body was laced with cords of unnatural fire, contorting in pain.

“Let him GO!” Raven shouted, ramming her palms forward as a crashing wave of soulself burst at Slade.

The raised tyrant just tensed, and snapped Rith forward like a play-thing, his body still wreathed in fire. Raven gasped, dispersing her power before Rith struck it himself, and tried to catch him, but her power bled around his body thanks to the evil flames, and the blind boy crashed to the cement, his staff rolling just away from his hand where he lay. _…Ra…ven…_ He was limp.

The pale girl panicked, her eyes flaring, and she ran to him as Robin flipped into Slade with his staff, Cyborg firing with Starfire. Raven dropped down beside Rith, but snapped her hands back as the flames holding to his body in wires and a faint aura stung her fingers. She couldn’t get to him. “…No…” she moaned painfully, her expression falling with fear and despair. She clenched her fists so powerfully they shook as she held them on either side of her tightly bowed head, tears seeping out of her sealed eyes.

Slade contorted and warped like a vine, slipping around Robin’s staff, clipping the leader in the head with his left hand, taking Starfire’s bolts to the chest without flinching, grabbing Cyborg as he ducked a sonic-blast, and throwing the half-metal Titan up into the alien girl. Robin and the pair quickly recovered as Beast Boy galloped in as a horse, snapping around and kicking at Slade, but the marked messenger leapt above the attack.

Raven growled, suddenly wrenching her body around where she crouched, on one knee, teeth bared in a fierce visage, and let soulself explode from her left hand, the fingers clawing toward Slade. “ _NO_!” Her voice shook the building and shocked their minds, Slade taking the beam of darkness to his chest and shooting back into the far wall.

But there he stopped, pressed to the wall as he glowed with power. The Titans watched tensely, looking from Slade to Raven as she slowly stood up, washing more and more power over Slade with no effect. The markings started to etch through her skin again, her overshadowed eyes already bleeding red power. Red veins began to skitter through her soulself, and her eyes split into four vicious slits. “I’ll tear you _apart for this!_ ”

Starfire gasped. “No, Raven! Please!”

Robin’s eyes widened in alarm as well. “Raven, stop! Remember who you are!”

Slade’s cold laugh silenced them, drawing the focus back to him. He floated out of the wall, blazing with his fiery aura, and slowly landed, Raven’s power washing over him constantly. “It’s no use, Titans. You can’t change what she really is. Your father would be so proud, Raven.” He opened his arms to her. “Come now, child. You can’t hurt me. You can’t stop me. You know what is to be done.”

Raven answered with a fresh growl and her other arm finally coming to bear on him. The beam of soulself expanded, waves of bloody light passing through it as it widened to nearly three meters, completely engulfing Slade. Her cloak billowed up, darkness writhing off her small body like a demon queen, the glowing markings visible through her clothes, down her legs and arms, the one on her forehead almost blinding between the four crimson slits.

Slade laughed inside the attack. “Raven, you’ll only tire yourself! Please, your father has waited long enough.”

Robin gritted his teeth, and then started to dash back to Raven. Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg ran after him, on either side of the massive soulself attack.

“Ray, come on, girl! Snap out of it!” Cyborg shouted.

“No kidding. Raven, you’ve gotta chill out or we’ll never beat him! He _wants_ you to lose your temper, remember?” Beast Boy added desperately.

But she remained focused, not turning on them, only blasting Slade with all the power and anger she could muster. It was the only thing that had worked before, she didn’t have anything else, but she could feel the darkness burning in her heart, making her friends hard to remember, kindness an idea she almost couldn’t comprehend.

Abruptly the power vanished, wind rushing off Raven as she let her arms down, her cloak falling. Her lavender eyes wearily gazed at Slade near the back wall of the warehouse, and then she moaned, slipping to her knees with exhaustion. The others quickly dropped down near her.

“Raven, are you hurt?” Starfire asked with gentle concern.

Raven shook her head. “I had to try… try and stop him… I’m sorry… I can… barely move…” She tried to stand up, but only fell against Cyborg, who caught her gently. She groaned a bit, looking around to her friends wearily. “We… have to get out… of here.”

Robin ran over to Rith as Cyborg picked Raven up, Starfire and Beast Boy eyeing Slade, but the leader of the team hissed from pain as his gloves were burnt in the attempt to help the boy up. Rith was still unconscious, his body glowing with magical fire. “I can’t move Rith,” Robin reported grimly, standing up and looked across to Slade.

“…I’ll try again…” Raven managed, starting to push against Cyborg to let her down.

“Don’t even try it, Raven. You’re in no condition to use your powers. Star, think you can blow up enough ground around him?” Cyborg asked, looking up to Starfire as he finished.

She whirled around, power glowing in her fists as Raven reluctantly relaxed. “I shall try!”

“You’ll try nothing of the sort,” Slade darkly muttered, walking toward them.

Starfire spun and unleashed her charged bolt at him, but he gestured at it, and the energy dispersed violently.

“None of you are escaping tonight. My master has plans for Raven, and you lot won’t stop them.”

Cyborg let Raven down, activating his cannon, while Robin took point with Starfire and Beast Boy falling in behind him. Raven winced as she barely stayed on her feet. “No… we have to… get out of here. Please…”

Her eyes widened as Slade shot forward.

Cyborg fired with Starfire, Robin dashing in with a green lion behind him. Slade’s glowing hand chopped clean through the metal staff, slamming into Robin’s chest. The boy wonder cried out as his body laced over with flames, and the green lion’s snarling leap was cut short by a vicious punch to the snout. Reverting, Beast Boy shouted, and hit the ground glowing with lines of hellish fire wrapping around his body.

Raven tried to summon her soulself, but wisps lashed off her fingers, nothing more. She gasped with horror as Slade dove between Starfire and Cyborg, grabbing the pair by the arms briefly. Both shouted in pain, and dropped as the same evil auras engulfed them. Slade dropped to his feet just in front of Raven, the other Titans unconscious, in flames all around her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stumbled back, trying to summon power to use against him. Precious little answered her, burnt up in her rage from before. Slade chuckled faintly, looming closer with steady steps.

“Azarath metrion zinthos!” Raven shouted fearfully, hands snapping forward, but a little wave of darkness burst off her palms like a popping bubble. Her mind was too worn, she could barely move, yet somehow remained standing. Her legs trembled, her lungs burned, but her friends needed her.

Slade’s gloved palm shot out, grabbing her over her eyes and forehead. “ _Remember_!”

Raven screamed, tears dripping out from under his hand as her body flared with soulself, the red markings coiling down her limbs, under her clothes, and she saw the horrible future again. Her father roaring in the ruins of the world she destroyed, her raven effigies looming over her friends, frozen in stone. Her power dispersed, her arms weakly grasping at the empty air ahead of her as she moaned. With a last shiver, inhaling as tears trickled down her cheeks, she was let go, and Raven saw the world fading into darkness as she fell through the air. _No… everyone…_ but she thought no more…


	11. Truly Powerful

Everything was so vague, and her head ached from a deep pain. Raven moaned faintly, her eyes opening bleary and tired. She looked down, and saw her hands locked in thick, dark brown fetters with all-too-familiar markings etched into their boxy surfaces, chains leading down to the edges of the circular platform on which she was kneeling, sunken over her own legs with her cloak draped around her, hood down. Controlled alarm appeared in her more aware lavender eyes, and she quickly looked around, her hair dancing around her face.

A large chamber of dark, brown, earthy rock loomed all around her, a dais beneath her intricately carved with runes of the same style Slade had burnt into her skin. It was murky and dark, difficult to distinguish much detail, but then she tried to reach out with her power. Raven winced with pain, looking down as the shackles glowed with unnatural fire in their runes, the entire dais glistening beneath her in response to her attempt. Abruptly, flame burst to life along portions of the cavern walls, casting the whole chamber into a bright, fiery light as hot wind started to spin idly across the walls.

Familiar voices started to sound behind her, and Raven looked back over her left shoulder, her eyes widening. “Robin, Cyborg, everyone!” she called urgently.

Shackled by the elbows to the back wall on smaller, raised platforms of stone, were the other Titans. As Raven looked back at them, Cyborg was on the far left, then Beast Boy, Robin almost directly behind her, Starfire, and Rith on the far right, his staff on the stone near his legs. They were all starting to wake up, but were restrained awkwardly with their elbows up high, knees on the ground, heads lolled forward.

Starfire moaned pitifully, and her eyes finally opened. “…Raven!?” she called in astonishment as she realized what was going on. Beast Boy and the others quickly roused as well, Starfire gathering power in her eyes and fists.

“No, Starfire!” Raven tried to warn her, a hand flying up with her panicked voice.

Starfire cried out, her power fading as her shackles blazed with flame, obviously hurting the alien girl. Robin jerked on his. “Starfire!” He received a similar blast of pain for his trouble, his body flashing with an aura of hellish fire.

Raven winced with the others, who realized their powers were restrained as much as their bodies. “I’m sorry, everyone… If I hadn’t-“

“Hey, don’t blame yourself for this, Ray,” Cyborg cut her off calmly, gently testing his own shackles. They were loose and passive so long as he didn’t try to escape. Focusing back on the pale girl on the central dais, he smiled a bit, “We’ll figure something out, don’t worry.”

Rith, though his powers were negated, could still sense what was going on quite well. “Cyborg is right, Raven. I believe the Teen Titans have stolen victory from the jaws of defeat often enough,” he offered with some mild humor to help lighten the understandably raw mood.

Beast Boy sighed. “Yeah, but it’s still a mondo bummer to get caught like this.”

Robin gave the shape-shifter a dry stare. “Not helping…”

“Actually, Titans,” Slade’s voice emanated from the front of the chamber, drawing their grave attention to him as he stepped out from the shadows between two pillars of flame along the wall, “he’s the only one who’s spoken with some sense.”

Robin narrowed his eyes, Raven controlling her dismay as she looked at Slade from the dais, still weak from the battle in the warehouse and kneeling. The leader of the Titans replied, “We’re taking you down once and for all, Slade. Just because Trigon decided to make you his pet- Agh!” he cried out as the shackles burned him again, everyone focusing on him with alarmed concern before he moaned, limply hanging from his restraints as he caught his breath.

Slade just chuckled, making Starfire especially frown with controlled outrage. “You have no powers, are restrained, and I have Raven exactly where my master needs her. You should feel honored, though. My master thinks you should get front-row seats to the end of the world.”

“I won’t!” Raven shouted firmly, regaining some strength. “You can’t make me hurt my friends or my home.”

Slade raised his hands out to the sides. “This isn’t your home, Raven. You have much grander designs in store for you.”

Rith actually growled faintly. “You can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want, Slade.”

The resurrected villain focused his eye on the blind boy. “Can’t I? Let’s see, shall we?” He aimed his left hand at Raven, her eyes widening as Rith and the others controlled their alarm and panic. “It has begun, Raven!”

A deep roar filled the chamber as Raven’s back arched, her arms jerking against the fetters as she cried out, wind blasting around her, making her hair and cloak lash upward while the runes on the dais flared with red light. Rith’s expression fell with horror. “Raven…” Guilt flooded his mind, feeling as though he had betrayed her, as if it were somehow his fault she was being overwhelmed.

“Stop it! You’re hurting her!” Robin shouted desperately, ignoring the pain his shackles as he scrambled. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire were right there with him, struggling and shouting.

Rith just focused on Raven, his jaw slack as he sensed her deep pain and fear over what was happening. _How can this happen…? How can she be violated like this?_

Raven just screamed as much as her lungs could manage, her eyes shut tightly but letting tears fly up into the raging wind. Slade seemed pleased with himself, a channel of flame ripping down from the dais, across the broad floor of the cavern, to the wall directly in front of Raven, where it suddenly shot up and blazed into the emblem of Trigon, exactly like the one on Slade’s forehead, only hundreds of times the size. Raven’s hands contorted as she stared down her face at the glowing symbol on the far wall. Her eyes widened with horrid shock. “No…” she breathed painfully.

_Yes._

The Titans along the back wall were struck with flaming pain, making Raven twist her head around to see them, pained empathy in her eyes as the deep, inhuman voice filled the chamber and their minds. The torturous pain ended, leaving her friends panting and weak. A fresh roar of flame from the wall made Raven quickly glance back to it, the other Titans doing likewise as they recovered, hanging heavily from their bonds. Trigon’s symbol burst into a portal of raging fire on the wall, and a towering effigy appeared through the licking tongues of evil power. Tiered horns loomed above an angular body, four, crimson slits blazing through the flames.

All Raven could do was shake her head slowly at what was happening in front of her, her power being sucked out of her by the dais, opening the doorway to the end of the world. She tried and tried, but she couldn’t get control of her power again, it was just rushing out of her. Trigon himself laughed with terrible triumph, and his horns blazed through the opening, exposing his long white hair, crimson skin, and burning eyes. The black markings, like stripes, on his torso came through, then his powerful legs, his right then left claws grinding into the stone ahead of Raven, towering over Slade, who stood to the demon’s right, his hand still raised at the pale girl.

Trigon nearly filled the cavern himself, his hair tied back in a ponytail, a simple waist-cloth covering his body, revealing most of his sculpted, crimson form. The already warm wind turned uncomfortable hot in his presence, continuing to stir around the chamber in addition to the vortex around poor Raven. Trigon stretched his back, claws gripping leisurely at the air, and then looked down to Slade. “You have done well, messenger. Release her for now.” He focused on Raven.

Slade lowered his hand, the wind dying down around Raven as the runes on the dais faded. She fell to her knees, almost crumpling in place. Her eyes were shut, and her sorrowed face was bowed toward the dais as she let her arms hang limply from her shoulders. It was done, she hadn’t done anything to stop it. How could she have failed her friends so miserably? The other Titans, for their part, were just staring in shock and awe, Cyborg and Beast Boy recognizing Trigon instantly.

Trigon smiled in a faint manner, disturbingly reminiscent of Raven’s own, and stomped toward her, leaning down into her face as she averted herself as far from his presence as she could, her arms caught by the chains attached to her wrists. He continued to smirk until she finally let her eyes sink into his four-point stare. The crimson slits narrowed with malefic pleasure. “What you have hidden you shall become… dear daughter.”

“Get away from her!” Robin shouted, struggling against his bonds.

“Hush now,” Slade replied, gesturing at the boy. Flames engulfed Robin briefly, and he screamed in pain.

Something inside Raven woke up at her friend’s pained outcry, and she twisted her head over her shoulder. “Robin!”

The blast of pain had faded, and he fell limp and weak from its release. Outrage and hopelessness warred in Raven’s heart as she saw Robin sag, wincing from residual pain. He looked up again, firm anger in his gaze as it focused on Trigon.

Trigon pulled Raven’s chin to face his four glowing eyes as he smiled with dark pleasure. “Ignore them, Raven. They are specks of dust not worth your attention.”

“They are my friends!” she shouted back at him, suddenly finding renewed strength in her mind and body, jerking her wrists against the restraints, her eyes flaring white, but the shackles refused to obey her soulself.

A crimson claw shot out, and grabbed Raven over her forehead. She gritted her teeth against the crushing pain, and the burning sting in her skin.

Rith struggled, his brow knotted over his scarred eyelids, but he could not break free, and the shackles made his power unusable. “…Leave her be, Trigon,” he managed through gritted teeth.

The demon lord laughed, still holding Raven. “I think not! Witness the destroyer of your world!” He pulled Raven up, her arms taut against the chains as she groaned in pain. Abruptly she screamed, her friends calling out in dismay.

Crimson runes etched into her skin. All down her legs, through her palms, over her forehead. And the mark on her forehead grew, etching down over her temples, and curling over her cheeks. Raven gasped from her scream, tears dripping down her cheeks, evaporating as they hit the glowing runes.

“You are hurting Raven! Let her go!” Starfire yelled, ramming forward, but to no avail.

Rith was breathing hard, his heart pounding in the growing claws of panic. _Stop! Think, think, think! If he just makes her do it, why? What’s the… point…_ His face turned up, calming into a dark expression at Trigon. “Is this your power, Trigon? Picking on a wounded, shackled girl?”

The demon lord narrowed his many eyes at the boy, and Slade started to move for him with vicious satisfaction narrowing his visible eye, but Trigon raised his free claw. “Wait. I’ll deal with this one… personally.”

Slade eased back, Trigon letting Raven drop though the marks remained. She looked back with tear-stained eyes. “Rith! No!”

Trigon smiled, flame building around his hands. Rith just returned the smile in his own faint manner. “I know why you need her.”

Abruptly everything became quiet and still, Trigon’s gaze wary and appraising. Raven grew puzzled, not sure what exactly Rith could know about her father’s plans. Had it all been a lie again? Her lips firmed at the idea, but looking at Rith, she saw a deep anger in the boy’s face, wholly directed at Trigon. _…Then what is it?_

Trigon leaned down into the boy’s face. “And just what is it you think you know, mortal?”

Rith continued to smile. “She’s more powerful than you are.”

The demon lord’s eyes flared, and he moved to strike the boy a death-blow.

“The very power you turned your back on is the ultimate power she discovered.”

Raven assumed Rith was just stalling Trigon at this point, he wasn’t making any sense. Everyone, however, took note when Trigon let his claw drop from the proposed attack.

Rith kept going, strangely confident, “I was wondering why such a powerful demon lord would care about a bunch of little specks like us, why Earth would mean anything next to getting your daughter back at your side. But we’ve become vital. Vital because _she_ cares about us.”

Raven’s expression softened, everyone focused on Rith at the moment.

“You have to defeat her so that she won’t surpass you, and, as you feared, she already has.”

Trigon grabbed Rith by the neck, yanking him taut from the chains as the boy groaned in pain. “How would you know anything!? You’re just stalling for time, mortal!”

Rith actually chuckled a bit. “That’s right. Destroy me. That’s all you can do. Weak hate, pathetic destruction.” Though his voice was strained, he maintained surprising power as he spoke, “Mercy, creation, the very powers you refused in your lust for power, are the ultimate powers in the universe, and you’re _just_ powerful enough to understand that fact.”

“Silence!” But there was alarm in Trigon’s voice, controlled panic. Raven’s brow creased, not sure how to use the information. How had she mastered the ultimate power Rith was speaking about? She could use her soulself, wield spells, but mercy and creation?

The blind boy continued. “That’s why you have to kill us all, that’s why you created the prophecy. To force Raven into refuting that power. If you can make her destroy this world, then none of the others matter. If you can make her turn on her _friends_ , no force in all reality could stop the pair of you… because she would obey you, lacking all else. This girl,” his voice built with natural power and strength, everyone, Robin, Starfire, even Slade watching with growing fascination, “who has withstood every torture you could throw at her without breaking stride, who has accepted every awful responsibility you forced on her, now stands on her own feet. She needs nothing from you… but you can’t exist without her. The great demon lord… at the mercy of a mortal child. And do you want to know why?”

Trigon roared, pulling Rith upward so that his arms were dangerously strained down. Raven’s eyes flared in alarm. “Rith, stop! He’ll kill you!”

“That doesn’t matter,” he called back clearly and strongly. “You have the power Raven. It’s in your heart! You trust, you love! Every strength your father refused in his blind grasp at shadows. He can’t make you do anything, he just has to convince you he can!” He finished with a choked scream, his arms shivering as Trigon started to squeeze upward.

“I’ll rip you to pieces, mortal.”

Raven breathed heavily, her heart pounding.

“He’s right, Raven!” Robin shouted, straining himself against the fetters. “You have friends, you heal, you empathize! All Trigon can do is destroy everything around him!”

“Yes, he can only break what others have made. He can make nothing of his own without destroying first!” Starfire called powerfully in addition.

“No kidding! Trust your heart, Ray!” Cyborg shouted, ignoring the shocks blasting him from the shackles, Robin and Starfire resisting the pain from theirs as well. “You more than this extra-crispy creep will ever be!”

Trigon dropped Rith. “Silence, all of you! Raven! Open the portal, let my realm pour into this one, or I will kill your so-called friends here and now!” He chuckled as he calmed a bit. “Obey me, and I’ll let you keep them as… pets, perhaps.”

Raven stared back at him, her eyes hard and focused despite the runes glowing on her skin. Why was Trigon hesitating if he could just make her do it? What did he need any of this for? Why was he bothering with her if he could already come through? Was it _her_ power that opened the portal, or had Slade simply drained her through the dais, and opened a portal that was already waiting to open? Strength and focus shone in her eyes. “I know you’re lying. I will never help you destroy this world, not if I have any choice left!”

Trigon stomped closer to her, leaning down into her face. “A brave stand, child, but…”

She gasped weakly, falling over herself as her runes flared bright, obviously causing her pain. The vision, pain, her guilt and anger all swirled in her mind and engulfed her heart. She couldn’t think, she could barely breathe.

“They’ve alienated you, ostracized you since the beginning. Take your true place at my side, and we will be together forever…”

Raven’s eyes dripped heavy tears onto the red dais, curled over her legs, her hair weighing down around her face. “…No…”

A voice cut through the maelstrom of pain clawing at her heart. “Raven,” Rith spoke gently through the rushing air, “you’re not alone.”

Her eyes opened, and she looked over to him as the hot wind tossed her hair. The blind boy was kind and gentle as ever, smiling for her as he always had, supportive and trusting.

“Exactly! We’re your friends, Raven!” Beast Boy shouted urgently. “We’ll stick with you no matter what!”

“Nobody’s gonna split us up because he wants to blow up a few worlds!” Cyborg joined in, grinning.

Rith called to her, “You have the power, Raven! We’re at your side, but you can handle that monster yourself! If you can’t see the light, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there! Trust your friends!”

“Do it, Raven!” Robin shouted, grinning despite the situation.

“Yes, Raven! Beat the bad demon person!” Starfire chimed happily.

Trigon roared back at them. “Slade!” he snapped to his servant. “Kill them all!”

“With pleasure, master,” the armored warrior replied with dark satisfaction, striding forward with his eye focused on Robin first.

Raven snapped upright, her hair flailing. “ _NO!_ ” her voice thundered through the cavern, shaking the very fabric of reality for a heart-beat. Her eyes blazed, and Trigon leapt back. Slade struck a black wall, and was flung back into the far stone.

“Your choice, Raven. Your heart,” Rith said, calm and sincere.

She closed her fists and bowed her head. Trigon raised his claws, flame bleeding from them both, and aimed at the Titans against the wall. “You’ll interfere no more, mortals.”

“No, Trigon.”

He stopped, looking down at Raven, his eyes suddenly flaring with alarm.

She raised her head, her eyes calm and peaceful within the glowing runes. Her hands opened… and the runes faded, cracked, and blew away like black dust from her palms. They scattered off her legs, vanishing from her body. “I will not hurt my friends for you.” The runes fell away from her face as her eyes blazed with white power.

Trigon cried out, charging at her, but a lashing wave of darkness slammed him back against the wall where his portal had formed. Raven shattered her fetters with a thought, darkness tearing them to pieces, and raised her hands as she stood. “Azarath _metrion_ ZINTHOS!” Her soulself erupted from her body, tearing into the chamber with spiraling waves. Her friends’ shackles flew apart, and the dais at her feet fractured into rubble as she floated above it.

Rith gripped his staff, Cyborg activated his cannon, Starfire’s eyes blazed as power flashed around her fists, Robin snapped his staff free and three cryo-discs from his belt, all of them leaping in behind Raven, Beast Boy a large wolf with bared teeth.

Trigon chuckled. “You think this means anything? Those marks are still inside you, Raven!”

She shook her head faintly. “Only if I accept them.” Her voice was calm, focused, completely in control.

Slade rose up, and shot toward Raven, flames licking off his legs and hands. Raven simply held her hand toward him, eyes focusing sidelong as her brow creased, though if it was out of focus or disgust was difficult to say. Slade froze in mid-flight, encased in a black aura. “Begone!”

The eye widened. “What!?” His body burst into spiraling waves of ashen dust, scattering against the ground and vanishing into the air like nothing. Her power rushed back into her hand.

The other Titans paused, blinking at the abrupt defeat of their most powerful enemy up to that moment, and then looked ahead together, already smiling. Cyborg whistled. “Nice one, Raven!”

She smiled a bit herself. “He didn’t belong here anyway.”

Trigon reared back, and snapped his hands forward. A ripping beam-blast of hellish fire burst toward the team, but Raven didn’t even have to block it. She glanced down to her left as a distortion shattered the power across the group, letting it disperse harmlessly. Rith smiled faintly as he stood with his staff to the ground, one hand raised in a focusing posture.

Raven rose higher in the air, her soulself writhing around her as she raised her arms high. “Now you truly will go back where you belong, Trigon. I will give you a last chance. Leave now, and never bother this realm again.” Her hood rose up over her head, darkness writhing around her.

Trigon spread his feet as he stood before the symbol on the wall. “You think you can make me do _anything_ , child? You were born for me! Your are MINE!”

“Had you done anything to treat me like a daughter, had you even once acted as a father to me, that might mean something to me. As it is…” her head tilted down a bit, her old battle-smirk forming, “I only see a monster who wants to attack my friends. _They_ are my family.”

Starfire smiled with everyone, but she clasped her hands and swirled around as well. “Oh glorious day! Yes! Let us kick the Trigon’s butt back to his home!” She spread her arms, power flaring around her fists and eyes once more.

Trigon built another powerful blast in his hands, Raven letting her soulself swirl into hers. Robin twirled his staff under one arm. “Titans! GO!”

Trigon unleashed, and so did the Titans. A green armadillo crashed into Trigon’s chest, leaping away as beams of sound from Cyborg and Rith met with Starfire’s eye and hand-blasts, Robin’s cryo-discs, and Raven’s shadow wall rushing up behind them. They collided and exploded, shaking the cavern… and rushed toward Trigon in a wave of fire, ice, sound, and power.

Raven focused, her eyes sharpening, and the symbol on the wall burst into a fresh portal.

Trigon looked back with alarm. “No! NOOOO!”

The wave of power struck, and he skidded back by his foot-claws, pressing against the power with hands wreathed in flame. It all dispersed, and he stood on the precipice of the portal, breathing heavily, hair disheveled. He looked up, and saw the six young ones facing him, power writhing around them. Above and at the front, Raven looked down on him with power coursing off her form. “I will not destroy the world.”

He laughed. “It is your destiny!”

“Who are you to determine destiny? If I hadn’t been so foolish, I would have realized this power before, and your ‘messenger’ would have failed completely. I was too frightened to face you. Thanks to my friends, I’m past that, at least for now,” she admitted with a calm nod. “I’ll make mistakes, we all do…” she smiled a bit, “but with my friends, I can work through it.”

“We all can,” Robin affirmed, grinning as he held his staff with a battle-stance, just begging for Trigon to try and attack again. “Can we show this guy the door, Raven?”

“Oh please,” she replied with a fresh smirk, “let me.” Grinning, she raised her arms, her power swirling with strength. Basking in her soulself for a heart-beat, Raven snapped her arms down, her body curling from force of the gesture, and her power released.

Trigon raised a shield of flame, but the darkness struck like a thunder-bolt with the mass of a tsunami, obliterating his power like so much water scattering off stone. He roared… and his feet slipped free, his towering body falling through the threshold of the portal. “I’ll be back, Raven! And I won’t be so kind to your friends!”

Floating upright, she shook her head. “No… you won’t.”

He vanished within the portal, and the dark power wrenched the hole shut, rushing through it and sealing it before retreating back into Raven. She relaxed, and then moaned, falling to the ground. Robin caught her as the cavern started to shake.

“Without Trigon, this place is falling apart!” Cyborg warned.

Rith stepped forward. “Cyborg. Shoot me.”

“What’s cookin’?” the metal heavy-hitter asked lightly, activating his cannon.

“Getting us out of here as fast as possible,” the blind boy answered in kind.

Cyborg aimed and fired, and the blast erupted into a sphere around the whole group. Rith looked to Starfire. “Care to make us a hole, madam?”

“By all means!” she replied happily, and as he raised everyone in a sphere of distortion, she unleashed blasts of power into the rock above and behind them. They flew out, leaving the collapsing cavern to its fate.

As they flew, Rith managed to look to Robin. “Is she alright?”

Robin nodded. “Just worn to the quick. We’ll get her home and let her rest. Don’t worry.”

Rith smiled a bit, and Beast Boy danced around. “Oh yeah, oh yeah! We showed that big bad demon whose badder! We bad! We bad!”

For once everyone just laughed at his bad joke. Raven’s expression was peaceful as she lay unconscious in Robin’s arms, her hair lashing softly against her cheeks. She had done it, with her friends help, but she had made the final choice. She was free.

Safely held in Rith’s bubble of sound, they flew on home.

* * *

Raven was in her bed, tucked under the covers, her cloak draped carefully over a pile of books near the foot of the bed, and her lavender hair gently splayed across the pillow as she lay on her right side. Daylight warmly wafted through the windows around her bed, revealing the dark but myriad colors of her room. The young woman moaned gently, clearly content where she lay, and then inhaled with more depth, her eyebrows rising leisurely before her eyes drifted open. Though drowsy, she felt wonderfully relaxed, warm in her soft bed-covers, and _well_ rested.

Abruptly she remembered what had happened before she fell unconscious, and sat up, her hair dancing across her cheeks as her blanket fell down into her lap. Her shoulders relaxed with a soft smile on her lips, relief pouring out of her beautiful eyes. She remembered. They had beaten Trigon, she had refuted his prophecy for her, and sealed him away in his horrid realm. It was over, the horrible ordeal was done, and her friends weren’t hurt, the world wasn’t in ruins. She had control.

Her eyes closed with deep gratitude as she bowed her head, her hands closing into confident fists as they lay in her lap. Of course, her emotions had to be disciplined, losing control would always be a danger. It had to be for someone like her, with such power at her disposal, but she had proved to herself that she _could_ control it. She _could_ take responsibility with confidence, failure or success determined by _her_ … but all thanks to her friends, without whom she never would have realized the simple truth. “That’s right,” she muttered with mild humor, “where is everyone?” An eyebrow quirked as she looked up to her door.

Her cloak flew off the books, and her door rushed open a heart-beat later, the tail rippling around the threshold before it closed again in her wake. In the living room of the tower, Beast Boy and Cyborg were playfully bad-mouthing each other over a video-game, Robin and Starfire were playing cards at the counter of the kitchen, and Rith was washing some dishes with a peaceful smile on his face. Starfire glanced up while she played with Robin, and saw the blind boy’s expression. “Rith, what is making you smile so happily?”

Robin glanced back to their newest friend as well, curious as he saw the almost wistful expression on Rith’s face. The sound-controller answered easily, “Raven’s awake, she’s coming this way.”

Beast Boy twisted his head around so fast his neck popped, making him cringe and fall over as Cyborg just chuckled, pausing their game. The half-metal Titan stood up, pulling his green friend over the couch. “Well alright. I was beginning to think she’d never wake up.”

Rith playfully chuckled, setting a last dish down in the strainer near the sink. “It’s only been a little over a day…”

The door to the living room rushed open next, and everyone looked up to see a calmly pleased Raven in the opening. “I guess it’s a bit late to say ‘good morning’.”

Her attempt to move down the stairs was interrupted by a purple, gray, and red streak as Starfire zipped over and grabbed Raven in a crushing embrace, glowing with joy. Raven twitched, her hands contorted below her friend’s bear-hug, but then smiled faintly with a light laugh as Starfire let go, giggling. “You may give any time-greeting you wish, dear friend! It is too glorious to see you up and smiling to care about such things!” In classic style, she was floating up and down with clapping hands and swinging feet.

For once, Raven actually found her exuberance welcome. “Thanks, Starfire.” She looked to the whole team, everyone smiling or grinning (Beast Boy) at her. “…I wanted to thank you all for what you’ve done for me… _been_ doing for me. I couldn’t have beaten my father without your help.”

Cyborg finally grinned as well, smacking Beast Boy across the shoulder casually, though it nearly sent the green Titan flying off. “Don’t even worry about it, Raven! What are friends for?”

“Exactly,” the darkly dressed girl answered with her characteristic smirk, her manner pleasant and relaxed more than ever before. “I can’t repay what you’ve done, but I’m very glad we’re friends.”

Everyone started blowing off how much she owed them, welcoming her as she descended the steps with Starfire. Cyborg gave her a light pat on the shoulder, and she was adorably meek yet happy with the attention this time. Everyone knew it was the severe relief of defeating Trigon that had relaxed her so much, and were quite sure she’d be back to her usual dryly amused, generally calm self in no time, but for right then, it was just good to be together.

Beast Boy popped up in front of her with a sly grin, flicking his eyebrows. “So, Raven… think you’d be down for some gaming today?”

Everyone watched with calm amusement as Raven opened her mouth with her usual dry manner starting, but then paused, smirking at him a moment, and raised an eyebrow. “…Just this _once_ , alright?”

Even Rith seemed shocked, Beast Boy reeling back with massive eyes, dust clouds ahead of his feet. “ _REALLY_!? You’ll play!? OH MAN!!!” He streaked to the TV, sitting with a huge grin and controller in hand.

Raven sweatdropped, hanging her head as she started forward herself. “Joy…”

The others were smiling or chuckling lightly. Rith smiled more warmly before adding, “I’ll have some tea ready for you when you two finish.”

She looked back over her shoulder with a soft smile of her own, tipping her head in thanks. Then she floated over the couch, sitting down to the right of the green shape-shifter, pulling a controller to her hands with her powers. “…So… how do I play?”

Cyborg sympathetically winced, though on the verge of grinning, as Beast Boy burst into an exaggerated, diagram-assisted explanation of the controls. “Gotta say, even after sending’ Trigon packin’, I’m surprised she agreed to play with BB.”

“So am I,” Robin agreed with a faint nod. He grinned back at his half-metal friend, “but it’s great to see her so relaxed.”

Starfire giggled. “Indeed!”

Rith just smiled as he prepared the tea in the kitchen. _Welcome home, Raven…_

Over the next few minutes, Raven proved quite a good sport about playing with Beast Boy. She took two races to get used to the controls, but then Beast Boy was raving and whining as much as when he played Cyborg usually, Raven maintaining a calm smirk as she pulled ahead of his car on one curve. The green boy wailed, and grimly focused. Raven couldn’t help laughing a bit, keeping her lips closed. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg played some more cards with the weather-based, picture deck they’d used before. Rith chuckled, pouring a cup of tea at last as Starfire slapped down a tornado and cried out with triumph, Cyborg and Robin frowning and dejected in defeat under the girl’s floating dance.

Finishing their last race with a near-tie, favoring Beast Boy, Raven and the shape-shifting Titan walked back to the kitchen. Beast Boy grinned as the others looked to them. “She was really good on that last race! Think you’ll play again sometime, Raven?” he asked hopefully, star-eyed and chibi in front of her, hands clasped.

Raven twitched faintly. “…I’ll think about it.”

Beast Boy leapt for joy, making her sigh as the others smiled, and she finally walked around, taking the cup of tea from Rith, who was smiling warmly himself. She tipped her head in thanks, taking a sip as he just started to turn back to the kitchen. “Rith?”

He paused, turning back to her with light curiosity.

The others watched as Raven stepped closer, leaned up, and pecked Rith on the cheek, then calmly turned, walking over to the table to sit down and enjoy her tea. She had a faintly mischievous smile on her lips as she did however.

Beast Boy’s eyes widened, the others staring in amused surprise… and Rith just stood there, his cheeks turning from pink to red, shock frozen on his face. His right hand slowly came up, and touched the skin her lips had kissed. He gave a faint noise, obviously very happy, and promptly fell over, his staff rolling a few inches away.

Everyone quickly appeared over him, including Raven. Robin grinned as Rith continued to murmur contented gibberish, and looked across to the pale girl. “Wow, Raven. You really _are_ powerful. Not even Slade dropped him _that_ fast.”

A mild blush and amused giggled responded from Raven, still abnormally playful, the others grinning. Rith’s hand shot up between them. “How right you are!” It quickly fell back down.

Beast Boy leaned further over him. “Dude… he’s totally gone.”

Starfire was giggling with pleasure as she floated like a giddy little girl. Raven finally seemed a bit awkward, touching the back of her head anxiously. “Rith, I didn’t mean to freak you out _this_ badly…”

The gibberish managed something along the lines of ‘don’t worry about it’. Starfire spun around. “It is too late, Raven! Your kiss has overwhelmed our friend!”

They looked down as Rith seemed to calm a bit, an eyebrow rising with one finger. “Did she actually-?”

“Yep,” Beast Boy answered with a nod.

“On my-?”

“Yep,” this time it was Robin.

“Really?”

They all nodded with a quick, “Yes.”

Chibi, Rith popped off the floor and shot off in a streaming ark, blinking out of sight. Raven smirked, set her hands on her hips, and tilted her head frankly. “Okay, Rith, real cute. I was just trying to thank you.”

He popped up in front of her, grinning. “Oh you did! And now I’m even more in your debt than before!”

Playfully dismal, Raven’s arms fell slack as the others giggled and laughed. Finally, she just shook her head, smiling. “I give up.”

Rith laughed in his calm, warm way, back to normal, and everyone enjoyed the pleasant, relaxed mood. A short time later, they split off to take care of their daily routines, Raven and Rith going up to the roof to meditate. Though she was still adapting to the fact that she’d actually beaten her father and overcome the prophecy, Raven was almost glowing with happiness. Up to that day, she had never been more grateful for her wonderful friends, and she would only continue to appreciate them more.

As she settled down to mediate with Rith, she realized what she had to do next. If at all possible, she had to find a way to help Terra. Thanks to the trust and love of her friends, the lavender-haired Titan was confident she would succeed. Terra had sacrificed her life to save the city and her friends. Raven wanted to show the same devotion. She was free, it was time to act like it. She smiled as she started to chant, Rith closing off their world with silence. Even if just for that moment, she felt at peace, all of her emotions in order, her heart easy. Indeed, there was no power greater than this…


	12. True Friends

Sitting on her bed, Raven was pouring over another large tome, hands pressed into her crossed ankles, brow furrowed with concentration. Dozens of books in various sizes were open all around her, more on the ground of her room, with stacks still scattered everywhere. In her research-binge she’d almost turned her dark, private corner of the tower into a striking likeness of Beast Boy’s room.

This time she stopped, her eyes sharpening, and she reached over, tracing a few sentences with her left index finger, muttering the words unintelligibly. She paused again, turning thoughtful, and finally sat up, looking off as she carefully considered the information. “He would be the key… but it seems risky…” She looked down, shifted that book aside, and pulled another close after briefly wandering her eyes over the closer collection of already open texts.

Rapidly flipping through a few pages, she found what she was looking for, and then burned her eyes into it. “So it _should_ work, even indirectly. Risky though… for everyone.” She closed the book, exhaling as she considered it. “It _can_ work, and I don’t have anything better.” Raven nodded to herself, and slipped off her bed, quickly walking out of her room, down the hall to her left.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was jamming to music in his room, piles of clothes near his bed and the middle of the floor, favoring the left side as one faced in from the door. He was hopping and twisting his green, wiry body like a monkey (without actually turning into one this time), a huge set of headphones leading down a _long_ wire to a personal stereo system he’d burrowed from Cyborg (who had replaced his with a mega-phonic system that could liquefy steel…). He didn’t even hear it when his door knocked firmly once.

Outside, Raven’s eyebrow twitched as she let her knuckle down from the door. “Beast Boy!” she shouted through it in her usual irritated, harsher tone. When she received no answer this time, she exhaled, and put her right hand to the door, letting her soulself pour through briefly. “Figures…”

The door rushed open, Beast Boy happening to keep his back to it as he danced, muttering random noises with the beats to whatever song he was enjoying. Raven stood behind him for a moment, dryly watching him hop left and right, and finally reached over, pulling the head-phones of his head with a little _yoink_.

Beast Boy shot into the ceiling with a yelp of surprise, staring down as his cat-claws dug into the roof. “Raven!? What’s the big idea!?”

She held the sound-spewing headphones up in her hand as she looked up at him, unfazed. “We need to talk.”

Puzzled, her green friend dropped down, reverting fully. “About what? Did I mess something up…?” he asked dismally, his shoulder slumping.

Raven shook her head, serious and calm as the head-phones floated over to his stereo wreathed in shadow. The darkness leapt off, twisted the power off, and returned to her hand before she actually explained. “This is serious, so I need you to focus.”

Not fond of being patronized, Beast Boy glowered, but stood silently.

“I _may_ ,” she firmly emphasized, “have found a way to bring Terra back.” Her friend’s eyes widened in soft shock. “It’s complicated and dangerous… and the only way it could possibly work is through _you_.”

Beast Boy blanched, sweat-dropping. “Me!? Why does it have to be me!? Sometimes I don’t even put my clothes on straight!”

Idly, Raven pondered Beast Boy with his pants on his head and his shirt on his legs, promptly shivered in disgust with a sweatdrop, and then focused on him seriously again. “Look, the spell is powerful, but it can only work through a powerful emotional bond, and the subject, Terra in this case, has to be willing to come back. We get one shot, and that obviously leaves you as the best chance for her return.”

Beast Boy hopped up and down in exasperation. “But I can’t do magic, Raven! How am I supposed to help her if-!”

“I’m _getting to that_ ,” Raven growled through gritted teeth. He meekly clamped his mouth shut. Raven calmed her mood as well, and then continued, “I _will_ be casting the spell, but I’ll have to act as a conduit for you and Terra to connect within the spell. If she’s willing, I can use your connection to each other to reanimate her body, if she’s not… Hopefully you can persuade her, but you have to understand the possibility that she won’t want to.”

Finally very serious himself, Beast Boy frowned a bit. “Why wouldn’t she want to come back?”

Raven looked down sadly, sighing. “We’re messing with very mysterious and supremely powerful forces, Beast Boy. If she’s happy where she’s wound up, if she’s not _just_ frozen as stone, then we shouldn’t make her give it up for us. On the other hand, even if she wants to come back, we may be making some _very powerful_ beings _very_ angry by pulling her out of where she may be.”

Focusing back into her friend’s eyes, she added, “And the spell itself is very dangerous. If you’re not completely focused on Terra, if you get lost, if I do, we could all wind up as stone. It will take immense will-power to get out of this spell once it’s started, Terra coming along or not. I’m willing to do my part, however risky, but we have to decide if you think you can take this risk.”

Beast Boy blinked, looking at Raven with wistful shock. After a moment, she realized he was surprised at _her_ , and she grew puzzled. “Uh… Beast Boy?”

“You’re… willing to risk that much for Terra?” he asked slowly in response.

Raven glanced down to the side. “…She still had goodness in her, you were right, but I turned on her. I need to make amends for that.” She looked into his eyes again, resolute and sincere.

The green Titan smiled with an unusual amount of sincerity and depth. “Thanks, Raven…” He straightened a bit, serious himself, “I’m ready to do anything for Terra. Just tell me what I have to do.”

The young woman smiled back gently, nodding. “After I do, we have to check with the others, too. I just had to talk to you first.”

Beast Boy nodded. “You’re right.” He glanced down and around with a faint blush and nervous laugh. “Maybe we should talk about this somewhere with a visible floor?”

Raven smirked. “Follow me.”

* * *

Not an hour later, the whole team was sitting at the round-booth table, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Rith openly shocked at Beast Boy and Raven’s plan. Robin immediately focused on the practical. “How exactly does this spell work? Why is it so risky?”

Raven started, “Effectively, Terra used up all of her life force, turning her body to stone. We’re waking her back up, but we have to make a strong connection with her soul, in other words, someone she cares about very much.”

Beast Boy jerked a thumb into his chest. “Which is me, of course!”

Everyone sweat-dropped, and Raven continued, “It’s so dangerous because if we lose control, the same thing will happen to us. Our life forces will vanish with the spell if not properly finished, turning us both to stone. So I have to stay focused on the spell itself, Beast Boy has to try to get in contact with Terra inside her body as quickly as he can, and try to get her to come back. She’s most likely still in there, but so disconnected from reality she may not even remember us.”

Everyone listened carefully, and then Robin replied, “You’re sure there’s no safer way?”

“Not for Terra.” Raven calmly added, “Beast Boy and I are prepared to do our best, but don’t want to abandon you guys either. If you’re not willing to take this risk, we’ll stand by that decision.”

It was not an easy decision to make for any of them. While everyone wanted to give Terra her chance, risking two more Titans in the process was a very unpleasant prospect. Finally, Cyborg spoke first. “…If I could help her, I would, too. I say you guys try it,” he said with a nod.

Starfire poked her index fingers together fretfully. “I do not wish to lose more friends, but I do not wish to abandon Terra either… If it was in my power to help, I would… so I must agree too. If there is any way for me to help, please let me know.”

Raven smiled gently. “Your support will be more than enough.”

Robin leaned back, uneasy, but slowly nodded. “I can’t justify not giving her a chance either, especially since I’d do anything I could, too. I’m behind you guys.”

Gradually everyone settled their gazes on Rith. He smiled gently. “Raven’s discipline and Beast Boy’s devotion? How can you fail?”

It lightened the mood wonderfully, both the Titans mentioned blushing a bit for their own reasons. Still smiling, Robin asked, “Is there anything you two need before you try?”

Raven stood up, signaling the others to start rising and spreading from the table. “I need to meditate, prepare myself. We should plan for tomorrow unless something comes up. Think you’ll be prepared, Beast Boy?”

The green Titan nodded seriously. “For Terra, I’ll be ready right now.”

The pale girl smiled in an almost motherly manner. “Focus and calm yourself, Beast Boy. If you really want to help Terra, you’re going to need to think carefully on your connection with her, _and_ get some rest. It will be a trying spell.”

Starfire floated up with anxious curiosity. “Might we watch this spell, or can we help any other way?”

Raven answered, “It would be best if just Beast Boy and I were in the cavern, but we’d appreciate having the rest of you on-hand. Assuming we succeed, I don’t think any of the three of us will be ready to move any time soon.”

Cyborg grinned. “The T-Car will be ready for ya then.”

Beast Boy grinned back, and Raven smiled again with a tip of her head before quickly leaving to meditate. Her powers had to be perfectly in control if she could at all manage it. Rith let her go without complaint, understanding her need for focus, and was actually smiling. _Miracles just waiting to be wrought by your hands…_

The other Titans spread through the tower shortly thereafter, both anxious and excited about what the next day might bring.

* * *

The stone face, frozen in a cry of exertion, pain, and justified fury. Raven reached out, focusing her powers to reach into Terra’s hidden mind. Her heart sank through her stomach as a _crack_ reached her ears. She drew her hand back, time seeming to move so slowly as Terra’s statue-body sheered down her anguished face, and suddenly shattered into pieces. Raven’s eyes flared, and she screamed.

She flew upright on her bed, a cold-sweat on her skin as she gasped, horror still clinging to her young face. Raven moaned, holding her head with her hands, her cloak off on a chair. “Calm down… I _will_ hurt her if I’m not in control.” She steadied her breath, but her eyes remained tightly shut. “I can’t give Beast Boy a hard time about mental discipline if I can’t keep a handle on my own.”

Still, the raw visual of her nightmare was unsettling, especially after defeating Trigon so recently, just escaping inflicting a fate very like it on all her friends, on the world itself. She needed to meditate, and she wanted fresh-air. Pulling her cloak to her hand with her soulself, Raven quickly left her room, walking briskly through the tower, up stairs, and finally opening the door onto the roof.

She stopped short, blinking in surprise at seeing Rith meditating in the center of the roof himself. It was the middle of the night. Raven eased back a step, remembering his meditation method for replacing sleep when he simply couldn’t do so normally. “Rith?” she called aloud, keeping her voice low. If he didn’t already know she was there, she didn’t want to interrupt him so bluntly.

When he didn’t reply, she realized he was definitely keeping his powers focused with meditation to allow his body rest. Raven chose to leave him be, and walked over to the right edge of the roof, where she sat down, and slowly started to calm her mind down, whispering her chant instead of speaking at her normal volume. The additional breath-control actually helped her focus a little better, which was a relief.

A few minutes later, Rith exhaled slowly, his shoulders relaxing as his powers reached beyond himself again. His eyebrows rose abruptly as he realized Raven was on the roof with him. Then he calmed into a sympathetic frown. _Three guesses why she can’t sleep…_ Still, her voice was so soothing he found himself not wanting to go back to his room. Her rhythmic chant remained soft, even for her voice, steady and strong, yet gentle. It almost made her ‘glow’ to his senses.

Idly, he wondered how deeply her focus had gone in the time she’d used. With a smooth push of his control, he cast Raven into a soft bubble of silence except for her own voice and body. She was not disturbed, and he used the point of focus to move back into meditation himself.

After a half-hour since she’d stepped onto the roof, Raven eased her chanting to a stop, and only then realized she couldn’t hear as she usually could. Her eyes focused to her left as she realized Rith must have started silencing the area around her. She closed her eyes with a faint smile. It was so… relaxing to know there was someone who understood her as well as he did. He didn’t try to barge in on her business, but was always there when she needed him, even if she didn’t think so herself.

“Listening?” she whispered gently, keeping her eyes closed.

Rith blushed a bit, relaxing his power smoothly enough to let her ears adjust to hearing the world again. “Yes. I apologize, did I disturb you?”

“Not at all,” she was still smiling. “Could you not sleep?” Some sincere concern and empathy softened her warm whisper.

“Not tonight,” he simply responded, sounding perfectly at peace, not annoyed in the slightest. “Anxious?”

“…Yes. I dreamt that Terra shattered when I came close to her body.” For some reason the admission just rolled off her tongue to him, and she didn’t even feel awkward afterward.

Rith frowned empathetically himself. “How awful… but not unexpected. Your concern does you credit.”

Raven managed a faint smile, tipping her head down. Knowing he’d sensed her gesture, she let her mood turn more somber and said, “I’m afraid I may be rushing myself.”

“Do you honestly think you could master the spell any better in any reasonable amount of time?”

“All practice helps, but…”

“You know you understand it.”

Raven exhaled carefully. “…Yes.”

Rith stood up, causing Raven to open her eyes and look around to him. He walked up to her with a gentle smile, and sat down on her left casually, setting his staff down on his. “So it’s just the fear of failure that’s holding you back?”

She looked out guiltily. “I don’t like to…” She sighed. “Yeah, I’m afraid.”

“I’d be rather worried about you if you weren’t,” he admitted candidly. “You, of all people, know how to control your fear, however. What do you need from me that could help?” He turned his face to her with a gentle smile remaining warmly on his lips.

Raven found herself blushing and looking down from him with a mildly embarrassed smile. “…Just sitting here with you helps a lot.”

His eyebrows rose softly in honest shock, and then he smiled again. “I’m very glad.”

The pale girl remembered something with a mischievous smile, and looked at him easily. “Sorry if I embarrassed you too much with that kiss, by the way…”

A pink glow grew on his cheeks, but he laughed in good humor, dipping his head. “Don’t worry about it. You just surprised me.”

She smirked a bit. “Good. Well…” she started to stand up, “I better get back to sleep, considering tomorrow.”

He stood up with her, nodding. “Good night, Raven. Sweet dreams.”

Raven giggled gently where she stood. Then, seeming to consider something, she came closer, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you, Rith,” she whispered.

Powerfully overwhelmed by the close, engulfing rush of her voice, her gentle embrace, her head resting on his shoulder, Rith finally managed to put his arms around her shoulders, patting her hair very carefully. He whispered back, “Thank _you_ …”

She pulled back, smiling, but actually had tears in her eyes. She sniffed quietly, wiping her eyes. “You’ve done so much for me… I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten just because we finally beat my father.”

Rith reached up with his right hand, and caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. The soft sincerity in his expression and the gentleness of his touch were making Raven blush as she looked into his sealed eyes. “Sweet Raven, you’ve thanked me more than enough for what little I’ve done.”

When his hand came down, she self-consciously reached up to the same cheek, adorably embarrassed, but also appreciative. It only made him smile more fondly before he pulled her hand very softly from her cheek, and, cupping it with both of his own, touched her fingers to his lips. With an affectionate grasp of her hand as he looked up, he smiled again, and said, “Good night, my lady.”

She slowly let her hand back as he let go, smiling in kind, a faint blush still glowing on her pale cheeks. “…Good night, Rith. I hope you can fall asleep.”

He actually giggled. “Me, too.”

The random humor helped her recover from the almost ethereal intimacy they had just shared with a soft laugh of her own, her eyes closed with happiness. With a final tip of her head, grateful and bidding him farewell, she flowed back into the tower, leaving a smiling Rith standing in the moonlight. He tilted his head back, and basked in the cool air and sound all around him. _Such a precious young woman…_

* * *

With a soft screech of breaks, the T-Car eased to a halt near the path leading to Terra’s cave. Robin sped up on his bike, quickly stopping near the car as Cyborg and the others got out. The leader of the team slipped off his vehicle, taking his helmet off. “Are you sure you want us to wait this far away, Raven?” Sincere concern kept his voice serious.

Already with her hood up, Raven nodded as Beast Boy stepped up beside her, abnormally quiet. “If something does go wrong, I’m afraid you guys can’t do much about it.”

It was disquieting information, but not unexpected. Starfire, Cyborg, Rith, and Robin silently bid the other two Titans farewell with waves or nods, and Raven led Beast Boy down the path, her cloak lapping at her calves.

In his own fear of screwing up, Beast Boy looked at Raven with a renewed level of respect. Yeah, she was probably more anxious about this spell than usual, but he realized she had to deal with his kind of mental discipline all the time. He could barely focus, even for Terra’s sake. Simply put, he was terrified that he would be the one who failed Terra, but the very real nature of that fear made him serious and focused.

Moving through the tunnels, they soon came out into Terra’s cavern, the stone girl frozen in her last moment of bitter-sweet victory over a volcano and Slade at once. Raven drifted right up to the statue, actually stepping onto the platform with Terra, on the left side as Beast Boy watched. Raven looked back to him with her lavender eyes. “Come on, Beast Boy. We need to start…”

There was a softened aspect to her voice, a deep sympathy for his situation that made Beast Boy feel closer to her, even if just for that moment. He steadied his breath, and stepped up in front of Terra. A pained expression formed on his face, but then he glanced to Raven as the pale girl put a hand on his shoulder and Terra’s. She spoke gravely, but without anger, “You must focus, Beast Boy. All the memories of Terra you can muster, every good feeling, all your friendship and trust. Terra is your world in this moment. You must bring her back. Leave the spell-casting to me in your mind. Only by handling our tasks properly can either of us succeed here.”

Swallowing, he nodded to her, and then looked into Terra’s stone eyes. Pressing his lips together, he reached up, touching Terra’s shoulders, his left hand just a little apart from Raven’s own. He closed his eyes, and concentrated. He remembered Terra hugging him on the roof of Titans Tower, laughing with her over pizza, even just playing games.

Raven’s eyes closed, but her soulself flowed out from her hands, engulfing the trio in a confined sphere of intimate energies. She followed Beast Boy’s heart out to Terra, and then reached further, using the forces of the spell to contact Terra herself… if she was there. There was a rush of sensation from the fallen Titan, and Beast Boy almost thought he heard her breathe. Raven’s eyes flared open in the darkness of the spell, and she continued to guide the two beings together. Terra’s presence was sluggish, gentle, and dreadfully faint, teetering on the edge of void.

Focusing painfully herself, Raven pulled gently on Terra’s presence, helping Beast Boy reach to it with his warm emotions and friendship. At last, Terra caught a glimmer of Beast Boy’s outstretched self, and flared more clearly to life. Raven grasped the two beings in the spell, and pulled them together with a rush of strength and life. The rest was up to Beast Boy…

He felt her immediately, no doubt in his mind ever attempted to rise. Her shy warmth, deep guilt, and pained memories. _Terra!_ he called out desperately, trying to get her to respond.

… _Beast Boy…?_

It was so faint and vague he barely made it out, but it was her. He burst with happiness, and it flowed out to her as easily. _Terra! Yes! It’s me! We’re friends, remember?_

So long… It had been so long for her, she felt so tired. Why was he calling to her, why did he sound so frantic? She needed to rest, it was so much effort. Terra felt lost in a deep body of water, too far down to swim up, the weight pressing her further down, always pushing, however softly. _…Beast Boy… I… need rest… Gimme… five more minutes…_

He almost panicked, his focus shivering. Raven gritted her teeth, straining to keep the spell together. Beast Boy poured his memories and feelings out, feeling almost hollow as he tried to _reach_. _Please wait! Terra, I know you’re tired… You deserve your rest, but please listen!_

Why wasn’t he cracking any jokes, why did he sound so serious? Terra moaned as painful memories panged in her heart. Slade, the Titans themselves, Beast Boy… pinned as a wolf by his foot, by _her_ power. Slade controlling her body, her power, her choices, turning on her only friends. _Nooo_ … she moaned in deep pain, but it drew her back to some portion of reality, an image of her finally forming to Beast Boy’s perception. She was kneeling down in front of him, in her Titan costume, not Slade’s armor, clutching her head weakly.

“Nooo… I’ve done terrible things… I don’t want to do anymore…”

Beast Boy tried to reach out to her, but found her impossible to touch, his arms too weak as they grew closer to her. He knelt down in front of her. “Terra, please. I know it hurts, but it’s okay. It’s me, Beast Boy, your friend. You did the right thing! You took Slade out, you stopped the volcano with all of your power!” he spoke powerfully and sincerely, his eyes wide and frantic, searching her walls of hair for a response, any sign of hope. He could _feel_ Raven’s strain, like a hook in the back of his chest threatening to yank him away from Terra.

Terra shivered, the sound of muffled tears clear in her soft gasps. “I… tried to destroy all of you…” Her head shook violently, spraying golden hair every direction, yet keeping her face invisible. “I’m a terrible person! You guys trusted me!”

_Terra!_

Something changed. Beast Boy’s voice thrummed with power, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulders. Terra’s head snapped up in the darkness, her tear-stained eyes wavering as they gazed into his in shock, her lips trembling like a frightened kitten. Beast Boy smiled with desperate kindness. “Terra, please stop talking like this… I won’t lie, you did turn on us, you hurt us really badly, but sometimes that happens between friends. The difference is that friends _make up_! You took responsibility, Terra! You took control! You beat Slade! Please don’t give up! You can come back!” he finally shouted happily, still afraid of what might go wrong.

Terra gazed into his eyes with hushed awe for heart-beat after heart-beat. “…Come back? …But I… You’d… take me back, Beast Boy? Even after I turned on you…?”

Her green friend just grinned right back, the light, heart-warming grin she loved so much. “In a second.”

Terra started to cry again, but was smiling gently as she knelt pitifully between his hands. “…Yeah… I believe you… You were always so nice to me, Beast Boy. Even… even when I was with Slade you didn’t turn on me completely, after I attacked all your friends…”

“ _Our_ friends,” he emphasized for her. “We’re all ready to forgive you, Terra. Look, I’m not saying there isn’t a lot to deal with, but we can work it out, okay? I mean, come on,” he started lightly, trying to control his fear as the pull in his chest intensified, “what are friends without arguments every once in a while, right?”

Terra pouted pathetically, such deep sadness in her tear-filled eyes that Beast Boy was almost crying himself. “…I’m so lonely… but I deserve it after what I did…”

Beast Boy breathed, and pushed himself closer, wrapping his arms around Terra. She gasped, her mouth opening as her eyebrows rose, tears falling down her cheeks. “I think you deserve to be with us, Terra… It’s not like I haven’t made mistakes either, big ones. I want you back, we all want you back. Heck, _Raven’s_ the reason we’re talking right now. She’s doing everything she can to help you, Terra.”

The scared girl shivered. “R-Raven is… doing this for me?”

Beast Boy nodded into her shoulder. “Please come back, Terra… We miss you… _I_ miss you…”

A rush filled them both as she suddenly surged against him, her arms coiling around his shoulders in a soft rush of heartfelt gratitude and relief. She sobbed into his shoulder, Beast Boy wiping his eyes with his gloves behind her head. Finally, she smiled past him, patting his hair. “…You’re giving your all for me, Beast Boy… Thank you.”

He tried to hide his tears, keeping his voice light. “Hey… no problem, right?”

“Right,” she answered, smiling, still crying herself. “…I’m having trouble moving, but if you help me, I’ll do everything I can to get us out of here.” There was new strength in her voice, her heart rekindled by friendship and trust freshly proved.

Beast Boy couldn’t resist a surge of joy himself, and quickly stood up in front of her. “You got it!” He gripped her hands, the pair smiling into each other’s eyes, and then strained. It was like some huge weight tied her down, but slowly, almost painfully, she started to rise off her knees.

Terra winced, fresh tears dripping down her cheeks, but she wouldn’t give in. Beast Boy, Raven even, they’d all done too much for her to give up. She strained, then gasped with fright, her strength faltering despite her determination. “Beast Boy!” she yelped, looking into his eyes.

He caught her firmly, smiled, and then warped into a massive gorilla. He roared, and Terra laughed as she was wrenched free of whatever held her back. A loud chime pierced the shadow-world, and suddenly light engulfed them both.

Raven’s head leaned back, her body shivering as her teeth ground together powerfully. The spell was starting to split apart around them, but so was the stone surface over Terra. Gold light was piercing the gray rock, splitting and fracturing down her face, neck, over her shoulders, down her body, and legs. Beast Boy suddenly flared into a gorilla in real life, and the spell burst apart as Terra exploded out of her stone shell. The gorilla fell back with a surprised shout, Terra weakly gasping as she fell onto his stomach, and Raven cried out, her body losing all its strength and starting to fall away from the stone landing as she moaned weakly.

Wind rushed, and Beast Boy vaguely heard a crumple of clothing as he tried to rouse himself. He started to revert, sitting up slowly as he held the person on top of him gently in his arms, lest she fell onto the rocky ground. Starfire gently landed, smiling as she held Raven in her arms, Cyborg and Robin stepping up behind Beast Boy… Rith at the exit, smiling faintly.

They all smiled down at the blond girl limply resting in Beast Boy’s arms, her legs off to his left as he sat there. She was still in Slade’s armor, her bandages tattered and worn, but she managed a weak smile, and turned her head enough to look up at the green Titan. “…Thank you, Beast Boy…” She could see Robin and Cyborg up above him, but could barely manage what she’d already said.

Beast Boy just grinned right back, sniffling. “Welcome back, Terra.”

Her smile grew warmly, and then she fell asleep in his arms. Starfire stepped up. “Raven, also, sleeps. She has worn herself very thin.” A touch of concern crept into her joyful tone.

Robin was just smiling with the others. “It’s not surprising considering what you… three just pulled off,” he said down to Beast Boy. “Come on, Titans, we have friends who need beds. Back to the tower.”

Cyborg picked Beast Boy up to his feet, but the green Titan made himself carry Terra out with them. As they started to leave the cave, Rith smiling as he led the way back to the vehicles, the half-metal Titan had one, very apt, thing to say. “Booyah.” The others laughed or giggled, weary as they were. They had their friend back.


	13. Titans United

She felt both weak and pleasantly relaxed, but waking up nevertheless. Her eyebrows rose up, and then a gently wry voice called to her. “Raven? Wake up there, sleepy head.” She groaned, pulling her eyes open, and focused up on Cyborg as he leaned over her from the right. The half-metal Titan was grinning, and Robin, Starfire, Rith, and Beast Boy wrapped around her bed in the med-lab of the tower.

Raven sat up, smiling a bit. Her cloak was still on, but she wasn’t sure how long it had been. “Has Terra woken up yet?”

Beast Boy grinned at this. “Not yet, really, but she’s doing fine.”

Robin added, “Rith helped get that armor off her, and Starfire got her some fresh clothes.”

Raven blinked, and focused on the blind Titan, who blushed faintly as he sensed her stare. “…Fundamental frequency?”

Rith nodded. “She’ll take some time to heal, but she’ll fully recover from the armor’s interface with her nervous system.” Starting to smile again softly, he continued, “It’s good to see you awake again.”

Starfire rapidly bobbed her head in agreement. “Very much so. You frightened us with your collapse, friend.”

Raven touched her temple, just feeling weary still. “I can barely remember what happened at the end there… I fell, I think… Someone caught me?”

Starfire blushed with happiness, trying to stay humble, as everyone pointed at her happily. Raven tipped her head. “I owe you then. Thanks, Starfire.”

“Think nothing of it, Raven!” the alien girl stretched her arms down her front bashfully. “I know you would do the same if called for!”

Cyborg leaned to Raven with mock gravity on his face. “We’re also leaving out that Rith was the one who made us all get in there and take care of y’all before anything worse happened.”

Raven smirked, saw Rith’s darker blush, and nodded to him sincerely. Between the two of them, it was intrinsically understood as a deep thanks, even though, in truth, she wasn’t surprised in the least. Then, her powers waking up with her clearing mind, she realized Terra was in the same chamber with them. She blinked, and looked just around Cyborg. He and Starfire split, and lying in the next bed was Terra, asleep, in a set of pale blue pajamas, lying under the covers. Raven could still see bandages on the girl’s neck, but considering her body had been bonded to a suit of armor, she probably could use the additional cover until she more fully healed. “Any problems? Normal brainwave activity?”

Beast Boy grinned, hopping into view again. “She’s a-okay! She managed to wake up a bit earlier, but she was so wiped still we let her fall back asleep.”

“She didn’t do much more than smile, but it’s a great start,” Robin continued, proud of his team as a whole, happy for Terra, and glad to see Beast Boy and Raven both so happy.

Raven was smiling in her subtle manner, but when she got off her bed, wavered a bit from her enduring weariness. Cyborg caught her first, helping the young woman steady gently by the shoulders. She blushed a bit, and thanked him with a softer smile, which he just returned before letting her stand on her own power again. “How long has it been?”

Beast Boy was a bit more calm. “Just a few hours.” He stepped closer to her, Raven puzzled by his sincere, serious face. “I know you took the brunt of that spell for both me and Terra, Raven. I can’t tell you how much that means to me…” Blushing a bit with a nervous half-smile, he offered his gloved hand.

Softened further, Raven smiled gently at first, glanced at his hand, pressed her lips between her teeth for a moment, and then came close, hugging Beast Boy lightly. He smiled, and hugged her back. “What are friends for, right?”

He laughed a bit. “Right…”

They parted, and Raven stepped directly up to Terra’s left bedside, resting her hands on the short railing. “I felt it… how guilty she was about what happened…” Her tone was low and sincere as she closed her eyes. “I wish I’d believed in her like you did, Beast Boy. I feel like I… like it was partly my fault she wound up in stone.”

Robin came closer. “If it was, then we’re all a little to blame, Raven. And you’ve taken responsibility for us all.”

Cyborg rested a hand on her right shoulder. “Exactly. You found the spell to bring her back, Ray. You’ve made up for any mistakes you made, at least as much as anyone can ask.”

Rith smiled gently, remaining a bit further back. “Since we all know you’ll both get along much better this time around.”

It let the mood lighten again with mild laughter. After a moment, Robin set his hands on his hips. “Terra needs her rest anyway, so shall we go get some late lunch, Titans?”

Beast Boy looked up to them. “You guys go on ahead… I’d like to stay here. In case she wakes up…”

Everyone understood, and either smiled or simply nodded to the green boy before quietly filing out. Raven waited for last, shared a sincere smile with Beast Boy, and left as well. He looked back to Terra’s gently resting face, and let his happiness and relief shine in his eyes. They had done it, they really had Terra back… for good.

* * *

Though she’d woken for a short spell earlier, her mind had still been so hazed over as to include it in her dreams. This time, she was starting to come back to reality. The bed was soft and warm, and for some reason that felt _so_ nice right then. She moaned softly, and then inhaled. A faint sting etched over her body, and she cringed. “Ouch,” she muttered.

“Terra?”

Her bright blue eyes blinked open, surprised to find herself actually awake, and Terra looked up, seeing Beast Boy grinning at her. Still weak, she smiled warmly. “Beast Boy… It’s real, I’m actually awake…”

“Well of course!” Beast Boy exclaimed, chibi and pathetically anxious at her comment. “You didn’t think it was real?”

Still smiling at him, his innocent silliness so cheering, Terra tried to sit up. She was very weak, though, and found it difficult. Beast Boy quickly came close. “Take it easy, you just woke up,” he muttered, blushing a bit as he helped her sit up.

Terra was blushing as well, but her smile remained as her hair fell around her head. Everything was so gentle and soft, not like it had been with Slade, and she wasn’t lying this time, they knew, he knew the truth. Abruptly, she managed to get her arms around him, her left cheek resting on his left shoulder, so they still faced away, but were hugging. Beast Boy almost couldn’t breathe, but managed to return her hug more directly, letting his eyes close with contented smile.

“You did it… You brought me back.”

Beast Boy pulled back gently, propping pillows up for her lie back against. “Actually… Raven did the real work, I just had to reach out to you.” He was poking his fingers together, still blushing, and looking down and around self-consciously.

Terra blinked, able to sit up thanks to his help. Her blue pajama shirt was adorable as it hung loosely around her lithe body, and bandages were still visible around her neck and shoulder area. “Raven…?” She remembered more of what he’d said during the spell. “Oh my gosh, I’d forgotten… She did all that for me?” Terra was sincerely guilty, looking at her dear friend pitifully herself.

Grinning, Beast Boy nodded rapidly. “She sure did! Everyone wanted to help, but Raven figured it out, and it could only work out with just us three. Oh! We have a new teammate, too! His name’s Rith, he’s a really cool guy.” He popped up beside Terra, both chibi, whispering conspiratorially as Terra blushed a bit with a moue, “We’re all pretty sure he’s got a thing for Raven, and I’m thinkin’ she’s okay with that, if ya catch my drift?” He nudged Terra with a wink.

Terra giggled, but winced a bit, holding her elbow. Beast Boy immediately collapsed into anxiety, his hands hovering out. “I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you!? You’re okay, right!?”

A bit overwhelmed, Terra started giggling again. “I’m fine, Beast Boy, but thank you so much… Oh that’s right…” she glanced down at herself, blushing a bit at the idea, “the armor… Slade said I couldn’t get it off…” She sweatdropped. “Ah… who…?”

Beast Boy smiled nervously. “Don’t freak out, because it’s not as bad as it sounds… Rith got the armor off--“ Terra turned lobster red, twitching violently,”--butStarfiregotyouclothes andRith’sblindanywaysoitdoesn’tmatteryoushouldrelax!”

Terra did relax, blinking. “He’s blind? Whoa…” She smiled again, scratching her head nervously herself. “Sorry I freaked out… It’s not like I can complain as long as that awful stuff is off me. Explains the stinging though,” she muttered, glancing down at arms and chest. Feeling a bit tired again, she eased back, still smiling at her friend. “Rith, huh? He sounds like a great guy… better than I was, for sure…”

Beast Boy turned more sincere and sympathetic. “Hey, don’t talk like that, okay?” He reached over, blushing a bit yet again, and took her left hand in both of his. She meekly glanced up at him from her bowed head, through her shimmering gold hair. “I won’t pretend you didn’t mess up, big time, but that’s okay because we’re friends. You were dealing with some major problems, and now we get to help you work ‘em out for real. We’ve just had some rocky times, okay?”

Terra giggled gently, squeezing the hand of his under hers. “Yeah… that’s why I’m so grateful. I… thought I’d ruined my chances at really being friends with anyone. …You helped me realize I could, Beast Boy.”

They both started blushing violently, and Beast Boy quickly hopped back, both staring off and trying to act casual. Then Beast Boy realized something, an exclamation point flashing over his head as his finger shot up. “Oh right! I need to tell the others you’re awake. Wait _right_ there!” he said, leaping into the air, and then zipping out of the med-lab with a dust-trail.

Terra was left with flailing hair and wide eyes, but then relaxed into giggles. “Same old Beast Boy!”

* * *

Cyborg charged in with a huge grin and pleased blush on his cheeks. “Terra, girl! How ya been!?” Robin, Raven, Starfire and the others marched right in after him.

Terra giggled. “Cy, it’s great to see you. Everybody. Wow…” She was actually tearing up. “Raven…” her eyes focused gently on the darker girl.

Raven just smiled back in kind. “I could have trusted you more, you proved that in the end, so consider it my making amends.”

The blond girl scratched the back of her head as the other Titans came up around her bed, Beast Boy glowing on her immediate left. “I don’t think you had to make amends, you were totally right about me, just… Beast Boy helped me change into someone better… Thank you so much, all of you, I just…”

Robin grinned. “Hey, they got you out of that stone, so we understand.” He offered his hand. “Welcome back, Terra!”

She blushingly shook his hand, everyone laughing or at least smiling as they all chorused, “Welcome back!”

After the mood calmed a bit, Terra kept a meek smile on her face, sitting in her bed. “So you’re gonna let me stay in the tower?” She was almost afraid she’d spoken to soon, but everyone immediately countered her fear.

Cyborg shook his head violently. “You think we wouldn’t? Girl, what’s wrong with you? You’re a part of the team!” He was grinning again.

Terra flushed. “R-really? You… you still think I’m a Titan…?”

Robin was smiling with everyone. “You pulled through for us when it mattered most, Terra. You saved the city and beat Slade. I won’t sugar-coat it, I think you probably need some more discipline over your power,” he continued with a calm tip of his head, “but you’re definitely part of the team. We’ll all practice together.”

Though seriously embarrassed by his criticism, Terra knew she deserved it, and was grateful all over again. “Geez… I can’t repay you guys for this… I really treated you terribly and you’re just… letting me off, basically.”

Raven stepped a little closer, and rested her hand on the girl’s shoulder. She could feel nothing but sincere guilt and gratitude, which let her smile even more. “You took up your slack, just like Robin said. We’ll work on your control as we need to, but you’re one of us now, for real.”

All this time, Rith had just been standing back, smiling at the happy occasion. It was so beautiful to see reconciliation in action. Yes, challenges would come in the future, but right then, friends were back together who thought each other lost. There was no greater gift. He blushed a bit when Robin, Starfire, and Raven backed away from Terra, gesturing to him for the bed-ridden girl. Terra blinked, and smiled. “Hey… You’re Rith?”

The blind boy smiled pleasantly, and drew forward with his staff. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Terra. Beast Boy especially speaks very highly of you, but all your friends make a glowing report.” He offered his hand.

Blushing with a bashful smile to Beast Boy and then the group, Terra shook his hand. She was surprised how gentle he was, and how confidently he moved. “Thanks… I hear you’re a super-nice guy yourself!” She tried to change the subject with nervous happiness.

Rith’s blush returned as he dipped his head down meekly. “I try to help out…”

Raven nudged his arm, smirking in her characteristic manner. Everyone else saw how the boy’s blush deepened at her proximity, and Terra noted it with gentle amusement herself. Raven, however, simply said, “He’s been a major help in several major missions, so don’t take his modesty too literally.”

“R-Raven…” he tried to quiet her as gently as he could, but his expression was adorably hopeless.

Terra found herself grinning. She had welcoming friends, it was actually real (the dull sting over her body actually relieved her for that very reason), and Raven had never seemed so at ease. She was almost giggling! _I think Beast Boy’s right, Rith definitely has a thing for her, and I don’t think she minds…_ She gave Raven a sly wink, which made the purple-haired girl blush a bit, and quickly try to appear as though she hadn’t noticed.

Starfire floated up and down joyously, glowing with happiness. “Oh this is such a glorious day, dear Terra! You have returned, we are all well! Please, how do you feel? Will you be with us on missions soon?”

Terra blushed, a bit wary of a crushing embrace from the alien girl. She sighed with relief when none came (yet), and grinned. “I feel really good, just tired. Thanks to Raven,” she added with a nod of deeply sincere thanks to the other girl, who actually blushed a bit again. “Whenever I feel solid enough to walk around, I’ll be happy to get to training,” she said seriously to Robin. “I need to get this done right. I’ve got to take control myself.” The grim effect of Slade was clear in her suddenly focused eyes, but it was a relief to her friends.

Rith offered his kind, sincere smile as he tipped his head to her. “For my part, I will be happy to train with you, Terra.” He gave Raven a subtle nudge in the back of her foot with his staff. She blushed a bit, and smiled. “Me, too. I think meditation might really help you with your control.”

Terra listened seriously. She, honestly, felt a little intimidated by training with the Titans, but she had to go along with it. Because of how much they’d already done for her, and how much she needed to put her fears of Slade behind her. “I bet you’re right, just… go a little easy on me, okay? I’m… kind of a slow learner.”

Rith’s smile turned bright. “Fear not, madam. I am sure your green protector will keep us from tormenting you too much.” He was chibi, and winked.

While Terra giggled with a blush, Beast Boy popped up, chibi himself, in a suit of armor brandishing a flag of ‘Maiden’s Shield’ proudly. His chibi grim focus made everyone giggle or burst out laughing, deflating his attempt. Terra’s adoring hug melted him again in a much better way. “That’s my rescuer alright.” He only managed some murmured babbling.

Starfire hopped up and down. “So much has happened while you were sleeping, Terra! May we please update you with stories of adventure and excitement? I have very much wanted to lead a ‘story time’ since I heard of them!” Her adorable hopefulness left Terra almost afraid of refusing her.

“S-sure… Starfire. I could use the update anyway.”

The alien girl whipped a chair over, and sat down beside Terra’s bed. Beast Boy and Cyborg hunkered down to help with bits of extra info and chibi-diagrams. Rith, Raven, and Robin watched for a few seconds as Starfire began with an animated depiction of one of their first missions after Terra turned to stone. Rith started to back away. “I’ll make her some breakfast. The poor girl is probably starving.”

Robin and Raven shared a look, and then Robin grinned. Raven eyed him with a sweat-drop and suspicion before he nudged her gently after Rith. Disgruntled (and blushing), Raven finally hurried after Rith. “I’ll help.”

He glanced back to her in the hall with clearly pleased surprise. “Oh! Thank you so much!”

* * *

At first, Rith, under Raven’s suggestion, started to make waffles for Terra. He discovered one of Cyborg’s waffle-makers, but when he activated it, the machine blew up. Raven leaned back, sweat-dropped as the blind-boy stood, chibi, black with soot, just before waffle-goo showered him from above. “…Perhaps not.”

Raven couldn’t resist an amused smile, blushing for his sake, and then helped him clean everything up. Deciding on simple pancakes, made the old-fashioned way, the two set up a simple but effective system. Rith was stirring the mix with comical enjoyment, grinning to himself as Raven actually cooked the pancakes in… a pan, setting the finished ones aside on a large plate.

Idly, the pale girl wondered if Rith wasn’t so happy just because she was helping him. It was hard to miss how much he cared for her, but she couldn’t help feeling uncertain, a little self-conscious about it all. Abruptly, she realized she’d left her current pancakes on one side too long, and quickly flipped them. Rith poured the last of the mix into the pan for her as she moved the finished ones onto the plate.

“Where’d you learn to cook, anyway?” she asked simply.

Rith chuckled. “You’re doing most of the cooking…”

She smirked at him. “You know what I mean.”

“True, true, madam. When I lived with the old Master, we cooked for each other regularly. Simple things, of course, but I learned the basics, got a feel for how things go when heating up.”

Calming to a prettier smile, she nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Pardon me,” Rith muttered softly, reaching around her to pull a whisk out of the drawer.

Raven moved a little out of his way, but was blushing as she realized he was almost wrapped around her. To control herself, she quickly covered with, “What now?”

“Scrambled eggs!” he proclaimed with overdone seriousness, letting them both laugh afterward.

It was strange. She realized that she didn’t just feel comfortable around him, she felt comfortable _near_ him. The calm anxiety that stayed with her whenever she interacted with others simply didn’t bother to form around Rith. It was just so… nice. Again, she distracted herself by taking the pan to the sink and washing it off. “Want to reuse this one for the eggs then?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Rith answered, seeming oblivious to her pensive moments as he whisked eggs rapidly in a large basin.

Raven smirked a bit, glancing over her shoulder to him. “So what are they talking about?”

“Just got to the Nufu incident with the cows. Hadn’t heard that one myself…”

Raven couldn’t resist a giggle, only realizing afterward how often she was smiling or even laughing recently. “Is Beast Boy telling it still?”

“Of course!”

Both giggled again. Raven finished drying off the pan, and prepared it for the eggs. Once he poured the beaten food into the pan, however, Rith took over, easily keeping them even and well-cooked as he added some yummy ingredients. Raven stood by, leaning against the counter behind him with crossed arms. Her calm smile and gentle expression clearly showed her fondness of him. Right then, in the kitchen, she just knew she could trust him, and remembered how kind he was.

Turning a bit serious, she glanced down. _…I wonder how I’d respond if he decided he wasn’t so devoted to me in particular?_ She seemed a bit sad. _I think I’d get jealous. Not exactly fair to him, though. Sure, we get along well,_ she smiled a bit as she looked at him again, _but… I don’t really treat him any differently than the others. Okay, except for the kiss, but that was half-joking anyway…_ The realization didn’t stop her from blushing a bit.

Rith, who had been quite focused on the eggs, abruptly noticed Raven’s expression. He turned his face to look at her over his shoulder. “…Are you alright, Raven?” His voice was softened, gentle and kind as ever.

A bit startled, she quickly smiled in her calm manner, and nodded. “I’m okay, sorry. Just thinking…”

He switched off the stove, and turned around, soft concern on his scarred face. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Looking at him, into his unique lack of a gaze, Raven realized how handsome she thought he appeared, how his manner seemed to soften and warm his actual characteristics so wonderfully. She started to blush, but didn’t look away. “Actually… um…” She stood up from leaning on the counter, seeing Rith become a bit more attentive, waiting for her to speak. Raven smiled a bit, and then came close, hugging him.

She felt his rush of shock, physically and mentally at once, but his arms wrapped around her shoulders in a warm, gentle response to her embrace, and she could feel his frame relax to her touch.

“You sure you’re okay?” he whispered softly in her ear, patting her right shoulder fondly.

Almost sleepy with her relaxation, Raven just nodded against his shoulder. “Yeah… I’m fine… I… just wanted to hold you, if that’s okay…” She rightly guessed he was blushing at this point.

Allowing himself a gentle laugh, he nodded, and said, “Of course it is… You’re so sweet, Raven…”

Her blush returned, but she was smiling, both sincerely and with a touch of humor. “I think you’re the only boy who thinks so…”

“Forgive me if I think you’re mistaken.”

They shared a soft laugh, and then Rith sensed something. He gently spoke again. “Robin’s coming.”

Raven just stayed where she was. “That’s fine… If you’re uncomfortable I’ll let go, but I’d like to stay like this for just a few minutes.” She felt wonderful, but in the strangest way. It was a new feeling, and a lovely one, both wholly relaxing, and exciting. It was so _safe_ right in that moment.

She only felt a soft pat on her shoulder, and knew he was just as happy as she was to stay as they were. When the door opened, the only one suddenly blushing was Robin, but he quickly started to smile. “Sorry, I just wanted to see if I could lend a hand.”

Raven did finally blush a bit, but was smiling as she pulled back from Rith. She felt almost sleepy. “It’s alright. I was just giving Rith another ‘thank you’,” she finished with a more wry turn to her smile.

This time Rith blushed, smiling as he scratched his hair. “She… has a way with words…”

Robin grinned, walking down to join them. “No kidding. Congratulations, you two.”

Raven blinked. “About what?”

The leader of the team allowed himself a mischievous grin. “Nothing, I guess, just felt like saying it.”

For some reason, Raven’s face was turning red again rapidly, and she became a bit flustered. “A-ah, right. I think the… food is ready. Rith?”

She looked almost afraid, asking for his help. Rith just smiled kindly, not wanting to imply anything before she wanted it so, and nodded. “It’s all ready, yes. Robin, shall we spare the lady the work?”

The boy-wonder winked his agreement, and the two boys picked up the plates and food needed. Raven, her blush cooling down, giggled gently, and walked on after them as they returned to Terra’s room.

The door opened to show Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire animatedly depicting the final battle with Trigon, Starfire and Cyborg holding small puppets of the Titans, Beast Boy pretending to be Trigon. Terra was sweat-dropped, as she had been since they told her about Slade’s return, and had an adorable moue on her lips as she tried to keep track of the story amid their interjections and Beast Boy’s random story-style.

Rith, Raven, and Robin paused, blinked (if possible), and smiled together as the others stared at them, the three presenters blushing a bit. Beast Boy popped up near Terra as Starfire and Cyborg hid the small set, dolls, and cut-out effects behind the other bed, which somehow hid them all perfectly. “Anyway,” Beast Boy started, “Raven kicked Trigon’s butt back to his dimension and then we woke you up. So that’s the deal.”

Terra was blushing, smiling as she scratched the back of her head, and then gave Raven a sympathetic smile. “Wow… I had no idea you’d gone through all that Raven… and you still helped me so much. I… wow…”

Raven just walked up, Rith and Robin zipping over and dropping the mountains of food on lap-trays for Terra. The darkest Titan girl said, “Don’t worry about it. I just hope you like the food.”

Robin grinned over the pancakes. “She and Rith made it together.” Chibi, he leaned over near everyone except the two in question, the others turning chibi conspiritorial as well. He whispered, “I walked in on a ‘romantic’ moment, too.”

Raven was blushing, but also had her characteristic twitching rage snapping soulself off her hands as she shivered, turning more chibi by the second. “ _Rooobiiin…_ ”

Starfire beat her to the punch, so to speak, by tackle-glomping both she and Rith around the necks, swinging them around in full chibi-glory, the pair sweat-dropped and helpless as Terra and the others tried to stop laughing. “What a glorious day! Raven and our newest friend openly express their affection while sharing the preparation of a welcome-home feast for another dear friend!”

She stopped, and Rith managed to raise one hand. “S-Starfire… Raven… needs… to breathe…”

Blushing, the alien girl let them both go with an ‘eep!’, and the pair gasped on the ground before springing back upright. Cyborg grinned with the others. “Don’t worry, Ray, we’re just pokin’ some fun. ‘Sides… if ya’d actually been doin’ anything _too_ romantic, he’d be the one blushing,” he jerked a thumb at Robin.

Raven smirked. “True… Well, him too.” She nodded to Rith, who blushed at the simple idea, causing another round of giggles and laughs, including his own.

Beast Boy leapt into a spider-monkey, hanging over Terra, squawking eagerly at the food. Terra clapped her hands together. “He’s right! This stuff looks _great_! Come on, let’s dig in!”

And so they did. The now seven reunited Titans spent the rest of the afternoon sharing home-made food, silly stories, and having an all-around wonderful time. Privately, Terra was anxious about practice, afraid she might hurt her friends, but she knew that the only real way to stop that very thing from happening was to practice as much as she could.

This time it wasn’t a trick, a mere fantasy. They really welcomed her as one of them, and she’d do everything she could to earn that. Realizing it made her grin all the more easily as Beast Boy nearly flew into the mountain of pancakes thanks to a back-clap from Cyborg. It was so good to be _home_.

* * *

Klaxons and emergency alarms flooded the entire complex, moaning through the night air. Men in lab-coats and technicians were fleeing a sea-side building with all possible speed. Inside the crimson-lit halls, a monotone computer voice, female, alerted any stragglers, “Warning. Containment unit breech in lab 2-4-A. Subject loose in hall 4, hall 5, hall 7…” The computer kept rephrasing itself as a massive shape burst through the wall, rubble raining down as it twisted toward the large exit doors.

A huge metal blast-door slammed down into place as the lab tried to seal itself off, but something struck it so powerfully that the metal mass warped outward in a single blow. A second sent it flying off. The beast leapt free, slamming down to all fours as it bared rows of razor-sharp, glistening teeth. Red, glinting eyes sharpened over a long, dark snout as the creature growled.

Giving an earth-shuddering roar, the creature shot off… toward a distant city and glistening water. Its massive claws tore into dirt and cement alike, wrenching it toward its goal. _So much… So much to DESTROY!_

* * *

At a busy intersection, people were milling about even late at night, carousing bars, goofing off with friends, or even driving around the town. A bus that had pulled to a stop near a small park in the center of eight blocks suddenly hefted off the ground as the passengers screamed and shouted in dismay. People began to stare, scream, run, or all three as the great beast stood beneath the bus, holding the massive vehicle over his head without a visible strain.

The creature was three or four times a human’s size, with relatively lean, well-defined legs, a sturdy torso, shoulders, and highly developed, long arms, with clawed hands lifting the bus from beneath. The beast’s head was wolfish, bearing unnaturally sharp, glistening rows of teeth as he growled at everyone not already fleeing from him. Almost all black with red marks, the creature also had hardened spikes, like extensions of his tough skin, shooting off the forearms, upper back, shoulders, sides of the thighs, and shins. A werewolf without fur, and natural spikes, the beast gave a ground-shuddering roar, and abruptly tossed the bus down the street to his left.

He narrowed his crimson eyes as the bus was engulfed in darkness, and gently lowered to the street. As the passengers fled, Robin leapt down, putting his grappling hook back into his belt under his cape. Starfire flew up on his left, Cyborg and Beast Boy stepped out on either side, and Raven floated up on the right, her eyes glowing as her cloak undulated around her feet. Rith stepped up calmly underneath Raven, his staff in hand.

Robin focused on the creature with grim determination. “We’re not gonna let you wreck the city. If you understand me, stand down now.”

Drawing his gaze onto the leader of the Titans, the beast gave a disturbing half-smile at the base of his snout. Then he spoke in a deep, rumbling voice. “Oh, I understand you, boy, but I’ve taken enough orders for a lifetime.” He dropped to all-fours, grinning fiendishly. “You seem like a very serious lot for a bunch of kids. Maybe you should _take a load off_!”

His fists shock-snapped into the street, tearing it apart in a blast wave toward the Titans. Robin snapped his bird-hook out. “Titans, GO!”

As he flew over the crest of the cement wave, Raven, Starfire, Rith, and Beast Boy, as a hawk, flew at the beast, Cyborg blasting down part of the wave with his cannon and charging in after them. Raven focused her soulself, pushing her hands at the werewolf to try and restrain him. Starfire and Rith backed her up with sonic blasts and star-bolts from either side as they floated upright together.

The beast growled, blocking their onslaught with his left forearm while calmly ramming his body free of Raven’s attempted grasp. She grimaced, and then shouted her chant, sending a ram-wave of soulself into his chest as Rith and Starfire also enhanced their attacks into solid beams, Starfire using her eyes. Finally, the beast stumbled back, taking a staff-slam from Robin to his head between the sharp, long ears, a sonic-blast from Cyborg to the stomach, and a rhino dropping on him as the others held off.

Beast Boy leapt off in his human form as the beast was smashed down into the street. Rith’s brow creased, letting himself land. “He’s not done, get back!”

The green Titan followed the warning, flying back as a small bird as the street exploded upward again, the beast crashing to his haunches in front of the team. Everyone braced, Robin pulling blast-discs free of his belt, Beast Boy warping into a dire-ape, but the beast lingered ominously. “Not bad, for kids, I’ll give you that,” he muttered with his rumbling voice. “I suppose that earns an introduction… Call me…” he seemed to ponder his name with relish, “Canis.”

Raven gave him a dry stare. “Wow, that’s imaginative.”

Canis growled at her, his eyes narrowing. Abruptly, he back-flipped. Power-bolts, blasts of sound, soulself, and blast-discs stormed after him, but he contorted and coiled in the air with astonishing agility before dropping down into the massive hole again. Rith shot forward to chase him.

“Wait, Rith!” Robin called urgently.

The blind boy halted, twisting to look back at the leader. “I can follow him!”

“Splitting up is too dangerous against that thing. Can you track him?”

Rith raised an eyebrow, then smirked. “Yes.”

So the Titans followed Rith’s senses through the city. Canis stayed underground, but moved at incredible speed. Soon Starfire had to help Robin, and Rith carried himself, Cyborg, and Beast Boy in a sound-bubble to keep up, Raven flying along under her own power. As they shot over another intersection, Raven’s brow creased. “We’re almost at the bay, where is he going?”

Rith shook his head. “I can’t figure it out either. He seems to be focused on random destruction.”

Beast Boy remained awkwardly crouched on distorted air behind the blind boy, along with Cyborg. “Well the thing _did_ bust out of a military genetics lab…”

Starfire kept up. “Though violent, he seems quite intelligent. Might we not reason with him?”

Robin frowned. “He didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk much, and we’re getting too close to Titans Tower for my liking. Terra’s still vulnerable there.”

* * *

In fact, back at the tower, Terra was very much worried about her friends. She stood in her blue pajamas at the window of the med-lab, looking out at the city. The trouble alert had sounded just as she was starting to drift off to sleep after the wonderful ‘dinner party’ they’d put on for her, so she understood why the others just took off. She was still very weak. Resting her hand on the window, she frowned guiltily. _If I hadn’t been so stupid, I would’ve really been here to help them fight off the bad-guys for all this time. …I didn’t even finish off Slade for them…_ She closed her eyes and bowed her head, her long, bright hair falling down around her face. Letting her hand down, she clenched both into fists. “I can’t screw up like that again. I’ve got to train really hard. I’ll be a real Titan, and then I won’t be some stupid ditz making trouble for everyone…”

Then she sensed it. Her powers gave her a sixth sense for shifts in the earth, and something had just caused a major disruption out in the bay. Looking out with her pale blue eyes, her eyebrows flashed upward as she saw a huge beast burst out of the water near the harbor, stone from the sewers he’d leapt from raining down around him before he slammed back into the water and started power-stroking for the tower’s island. “Whoa… That thing means business…” Then she grinned, “But my friends are right on his tail!”

Raven, Rith, and Starfire, with their friends, flew over the water that instant, chasing the beast down. Robin focused ahead grimly. “Figures… he’s after our home.”

Starfire’s expression turned sour as her eyes blazed. “I am quite fond of our home. I will not let him destroy it!” She suddenly shot ahead of the others, Raven and Rith a bit stunned, and then rushing to keep up.

Canis just reached the shallow water off the coast of the tower’s island, laughing to himself as he waded forward.

“Canis! Heads up!”

He twisted his head around only to receive Robin’s boots to his snout as Starfire swung the boy at him. Canis reeled back, toward the tower, and Starfire quickly looped around, dropping Robin on the shore as she floated up with power gathered over her fists and in her eyes. Flying past on discs of shadow, Cyborg and Beast Boy landed on either side of Robin, Raven floating up to face Canis with them. The beast roared, turning to face them again, but his back arched from a vicious blow, the water exploding out from him as Rith slammed his staff into Canis’ back.

Roaring in fury, Canis lashed around. He only struck empty water as Rith flipped high over him, crashing to his haunches between the island and the beast, staff along his back with a faint smile. Canis, facing away for a split-second, smirked, and snapped around abruptly. Rith leapt up, but no attack came. His eyebrows rose in controlled shock just before Canis roared in his face. The sound was not the same as before, but rather a focused, beam-blast of distortion from the beast’s throat. It engulfed Rith’s head for a fraction of a second, but everyone knew what it would do.

Raven’s eyes flared. “Rith!?”

The boy reeled back through the air, groaning as his hand let go of his staff. His body limply crashed into the water. Canis sent his fist down after him, but struck a black wall, Raven shooting down to pull Rith (with his staff) out of the water, and flying back to the island. Canis growled up at her, but a barrage of star-bolts, blast-discs, and sonic-blasts struck him like a wall, blasting water and steam away as he stomped back a step. Canis loomed through the scattering smoke only to lock gazes with a T-Rex, which snapped around, tail-ramming him to the side.

Raven landed with Rith, his staff dropping from a black aura to the ground just near them. The girl’s hood folded down as she turned the blind boy on his side, shaking him as he didn’t respond. “Rith? Come on! You have to wake up!” She touched his head, closing her eyes, but before she could use her soulself, he sputtered, coughing water onto the rocks, and leaned back against her weakly. She sagged with relief. “Are you hurt badly?”

“Just… need a second… Thanks again,” he managed a wan smile up at her.

Despite the battle, she found herself smiling back. “Just stay here. I need to back them up.”

He only nodded with calm acceptance, and she shot off again, pulling her hood up. Rith winced, holding his head once she wasn’t focused on him. “I’d rather avoid that in future…”

Canis was being pestered by long-range attacks from Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg while Beast Boy got right in the beast’s face as a gorilla, elephant, various dinosaurs, even a buffalo. Clenching his claws together, Canis sent Beast Boy flying back and reverting with a swing to his chest. As the green Titan flew back with a shout of pain, familiar words rang through the air.

“Azarath metrion _ZINTHOS_!”

Canis’ smirk was cut-short by a black wall of water ramming into him from his left, Raven rushing down as she swept her arms along the path of her attack. Canis started to recover, eyeing her darkly, when Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg charged past the darkest Titan. Robin shouted up to her, “Get ready to guard our retreat!”

“I’ll be waiting,” she called seriously, already focusing as she raised her hands on either side, her legs crooked faintly beneath her writhing cloak.

Canis swept a claw at Robin, who ducked while Cyborg and Starfire blasted the creature in the chest. While Canis tried to recover, Cyborg grabbed the right arm, Starfire the left, and Robin threw two cryo-discs into Canis’ front with a quick snap-twist of his body, his arms lashing out in turn. Canis’ body was frozen over almost completely, but he roared, tensed, and his bulging muscles shattered the ice. Robin’s eyes flared. “Let him go!”

Cyborg and Starfire did so, and Canis wrenched his arms down at Robin.

“Star, take him high!” Cyborg bellowed, charging a shoulder-ram into Canis’ shins.

Starfire roared with righteous fury herself, eyes blazing, and dove into Canis’ head from the other side. His body angled toward Robin, Canis was struck on opposite sides, high and low, at once, causing his relatively light body to snap-coil in mid-air, water spraying out from his flying feet. The three attacking Titans beat a hasty retreat, Starfire swooping in from her through-charge across Canis’ head to pull Robin and Cyborg to safety, rushing past Raven.

Rith finally rose to his feet with Beast Boy on the shore, the pair ‘watching’ as Raven summoned her soulself to her hands as Canis splashed into the water. The beast quickly reared up, and roared as it charged at her, but Raven dipped her hands to wrench them vertically over her head with a sharp shout of exertion, a wall of black water erupting between her and the advancing brute.

Unfortunately, Canis tore through it like so much paper. Raven grimaced from the violation of her soulself’s domain, and started to fly back, but not nearly fast-enough.

“Raven!” Rith shouted, already starting to fly off the ground despite the roaring pain in his head.

“ _BACK OFF!_ ”

A boulder the size of a bus rammed out of the water ahead of Raven, crashing into Canis with such vicious force that he actually yelped, hurtling back through the air and crashing into the deeper water thirty meters off.

Everyone suddenly looked back to the tower in shock, which quickly turned to relief and, in Beast Boy’s case, star-eyes and chibi glee. Terra stood there, still in her pajamas, with her hair flailing around her head, and her yellow-glowing eyes sharpened with firm anger, her right fist closed straight forward. Rith was already well-disposed to the young woman for helping Raven so directly. Raven herself quickly flew back, landing as she pulled her hood down. “Terra… thanks, but are you okay?”

Terra smirked a bit, lowering her fist as her eyes faded and her hair relaxed. “Not a front-liner today, but I can back you guys up. ‘Sides, I still owe you big time,” she finished with a light smirk, setting her hands on her hips.

Beast Boy appeared beside her in chibi adoration. “Isn’t she the coolest…?”

Cyborg jerked a thumb back out to the water. “Not to interrupt this Kodak moment, but we still got a big-nasty to deal with?”

Everyone quickly faced out again, Rith spinning his staff into his hands as his clothes dripped water on the stone. Beast Boy quickly turned serious and hopped a little further ahead, Terra bracing her legs and fists, focusing for a quick attack again.

Canis lumbered back to the shallower water, his chest heaving with frustration. “Who did _THAT_!?” Rith winced faintly again at the sharper noise, still recovering from the sonic-shock before.

Terra grinned. “That’d be _me_.”

Raven floated back above Terra, both arms out with soulself writhing around the fists, legs down, body braced, but faintly smiling. “Terra, how big a chunk of rock can you get up in the air as fast as that last attack?”

Thinking, the blond girl quickly replied, “About… a little bigger than that one, if you just need it up in the air.”

Raven’s confidence grew in her smile. “Just toss it up and let go. I’ll finish it.” Her arms tightened a bit further.

Terra smirked. “You got it.”

“Rith?” Raven called.

“What do you need?”

“The biggest sonic blast you can manage right now.”

He twirled his staff in front of himself, focusing with grave determination. Raven couldn’t let the concern he would push himself too hard for her request distract her from pulling her own part off. “On my signal,” she said more quietly.

Robin nodded to the others, and they launched a full barrage at Canis, who started to dash toward them, the water exploding in his wake as he roared in bestial fury. Starfire flew straight in, slamming his chin upward with a two-fisted uppercut, only to eye-blast him down into his chest. She shot back, twirling like a top as her fists glowed, unleashing a rapid-fire assault with her star-bolts, keeping Canis pinned back while Cyborg and Robin teamed up their sonic-blasts and cryo-discs to slow the werewolf creature down even more.

Raven watched as a green elephant charged in, ramming Canis back violently. “Beast Boy, get out of there! Terra!” Her own arms pulled back as her power blazed from her eyes and around her hands in solid spheres.

The green elephant transformed into a bird that squawked in dismay as it looked back to the tower, quickly flying out of the way. Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin shot to either side as Terra screamed, wrenching her clawed hands upward as her power flared out of her eyes like twin suns, her hair flailing upward. A huge block burst out of the water, quickly losing its golden aura only to be engulfed in a black one.

“Rith!”

The boy grunted without a sound, straining his body lower as a wall of distortion three meters wide shot from his body, slamming Canis back through the air with a pained shout from the beast. Canis looked up as he started to rush away, only to widen his red eyes as the massive block smashed into him, exploding from the force of the impact. He flipped over himself rapidly, skipping across the water, and slamming into the far harbor with a shattering blast of wood and cement. He groaned, and fell limply unconscious.

Raven landed, panting with Terra and Rith as the others hurried up to the trio. “Booyah!” Cyborg shouted happily first. “That was a tag-team slam if I ever saw one. I gotta have five for that!”

Rith and Raven gave both he and Terra smiles, and she grinned, slapping the metal hand with her own. “Just helping out…” she muttered, sincerely wiped out as she kept herself up with her hands on her knees.

Starfire landed, wiping her gauntlet across her forehead. “He was a most challenging foe. I am most relieved to see his defeat. May we please rest now?”

Robin nodded, smiling. “Of course. I’ll contact the proper authorities to come pick our new friend up.” He focused on Terra, Raven, and Rith. “You three did a great job together.”

Raven managed to stand up, pulling her hood down as she caught her breath. “It wouldn’t have worked without everyone giving their all. It was a team-effort.” She gave Terra a gentle side-long glance, which the girl noticed and responded with a sincerely grateful, though wan, smile.

Rith palmed Beast Boy toward Terra with an innocent expression on his face, the green Titan blushing as he stood in front of her. “C-can I help you get back to your bed, Terra?”

Terra blushed a little herself, but nodded. “I’d appreciate it, Beast Boy…”

He came up, grinned, and actually swept her off her feet. The girl yelped playfully, but then wrapped her arms around his neck, and just relaxed there, almost asleep already. Beast Boy blushed powerfully again, but smiled with surprising sincerity, and started walking. Cyborg watched them start back into the tower with the others, and then smirked slyly at Rith. “…Gonna offer Ray the same, Rith, my man?”

Rith blushed, Raven also though she hid it with her hood rising over her head again, and helplessly raised his arms out to the sides. “I’d just get her soaking wet.” His sleeves were still dripping onto the rocks.

Everyone still outside shared a sincere laugh, and then made their way inside to get cleaned up and some rest. Beast Boy gently lay Terra down in the bed in the med-lab, the poor girl already fast sleep. He pressed his lips together, and gently caressed her cheek, dropping a few strands of her hair down from her face, onto the pillow. She made a gentle murmuring sound, obviously happy with the touch, but never quite woke up. Blushing gently again, the green Titan pulled her blanket over her, and walked to the door.

With a soft pause before he turned out the lights, he looked back at her. “Good night, Terra… Welcome home.”

When the door swept shut, Terra smiled in her dreams. _Thank you, Beast Boy._


	14. Restless Nights

Her eyes closed, Terra focused with determination as her pale eyebrows shivered through her golden walls of hair. Floating in front of her was a large boulder, one of four arrayed about her in the air, and she was sitting, cross-legged on a larger chunk of rock ripped right out of the ground below her, the crater clearly visible. Once again, she was wearing her costume of a black shirt with a yellow ‘T’, cargo shorts, and goggles (loose around her neck). She was just out in front of Titan Tower, and she wasn’t alone.

Raven, floating in her own posture just beyond the boulder ahead of Terra, spoke in a calm, low voice. “That’s right, keep yourself steady. Focus on your heart-beat… your breathing… your sense of the objects you’re controlling.”

Terra grimaced a bit. “I’m… wearing out, Raven…”

“Then this is when it really matters. Always push your endurance when practicing. Stay calm, stay focused…”

Sweat was starting to drip down Terra’s forehead, her eyebrows quivering. The boulder on her left began to shake. With a faint moan, Terra steadied it, but she was gritting her teeth. Raven opened her own eyes, which tightened faintly. “…Slowly let the four stones down, always maintain your control.”

Terra pressed her lips together, clenching her fists, and the four boulders slowly descended. She winced, her body aching for her to just let go, but she knew that was exactly what she had to overcome. Relief washed over her as she felt the stones touch the ground.

“Set them down securely, and lower yourself.”

The boulders settled into solid positions on the island, and then Terra’s raised sitting-stone slowly sank down as well. Raven dropped down to her feet, and when Terra had landed, she smiled a bit. “Well done, Terra. Relax.”

Terra exhaled sinking over her legs with a pitiful moan. “Please tell we can take a break? My brain is about to melt out of my ears…” A thought-puff over her head revealed a chibi Terra with spinny-eyes losing gray matter out her ears.

Raven sweatdropped, then giggled gently, stepping over and offering her hand. “Actually, that’s not bad for today. Come on, let’s go inside.”

Terra looked up at her, flushed with exertion, but wearily happy, and took Raven’s hand before standing up. Before they started for the tower, however, she tugged on Raven’s hand, letting the other girl know she wanted to say something. Raven looked back to her with calm curiosity.

Smiling gently, Terra pulled some hair behind her left ear, glancing down. “I wanted to thank you for helping me these last few days, Raven. I… was really awful to you when I was with Slade, and you haven’t even looked at me funny since I came back… you went through all that to help me, too.”

Raven blushed a bit. “It’s in the past. We’ve all made mistakes, we all will again, but we can help each other grow up along the way. It’s what friends are for…” She offered her hand.

Terra shook it, but then came close and embraced Raven. The darker girl was a bit startled, but softened, and returned the hug with a soft pat on Terra’s shoulders. “Come on. You’re probably starving.”

The blond Titan laughed a bit, pulling away, and nodded as she wiped some quiet tears from her eyes. Finally, they started back into the tower. As they did, Raven quietly looked down ahead of her feet. She felt so different, but hadn’t lost anything either. Terra was back, her friends were alright, she had overcome her father and Slade, even Malchior again, and Rith was a new friend she already felt she could trust implicitly. She really felt _happy_.

* * *

The two girls stepped down into the living room of Titan Tower just a few minutes later. Rith was in the kitchen, smiling in welcome for them, while Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were all seated in the booth. Just as Terra came close to the booth, Beast Boy zipped out in front of her, even Raven pausing to watch as the green Titan held something behind his back, grinning and blushing at once.

Terra blinked. “H-hey, Beast Boy… something up?” She was a little pink on the cheeks herself, rubbing her right arm self-consciously.

Clearing his throat a bit, Beast Boy whipped his hands out in front of himself, showing off a large bundle of taped-up paper. “I’ve been working on this the last few days, since I thought you might like it…” He sweatdropped. “Don’t worry if it’s not something you want, I just… wanted to try.”

Raven was smiling a bit as she hung back, the others watching with controlled happiness as Terra slowly took the big wad of paper, her shock and embarrassment obvious. “B-Beast Boy… you didn’t have to make me another present…” She was actually tearing up softly.

Beast Boy quickly waved his hands. “D-don’t worry about it, really! I wanted to… a-and you might not like it either, so…” he stopped, scratching the back of his head nervously, glancing down and around.

The blond girl smiled gently, and then tore the paper off with a childish glee common to most people when they get a present. When she saw what it was, however, she froze, her eyes widening in soft astonishment. It was another heart-shaped box, almost exactly like the first one he’d given her. Almost in a dream, she carefully lifted the lid, showing the mirror on its under-side, and her own watery eyes. Terra bit her lip to control herself, closing the lid, and looked up at her green friend. He blushed, eyeing her warily. “Is it… okay?”

She shot in and grabbed him around the shoulders, the box shivering in her right hand she was squeezing so hard. Beast Boy was startled, could barely breathe, but laughed a bit, hugging her back as she let herself ease a little.

“Thank you so much, Beast Boy! You don’t know how much this means to me…”

The others were sympathetically pleased, seeing how touched the girl really was. Indeed, Beast Boy couldn’t quite understand how important it was, to have a connection with the joy she’d felt before, and to have the fear of it falling away completely dispersed by getting the simple little box back anew. The green shape-shifter could guess enough, though, and when they pulled back, just smiled. “Then I’m glad you like it.”

Terra could only nod as she wiped her eyes at this point, clutching the box to her chest with her other arm. Robin and the others, even Raven, started lightly clapping for Terra. Beast Boy stepped back and started clapping, too. Terra blushed violently, scratching the back of her head. “H-hey, I just… got a present…”

Raven kept her calm smile as she finally let her hands down. “I think you finally realize you’re home again, Terra.”

Starfire flew over, grinning. “Yes, dear Terra! We can see in your eyes that you really are back with us now! It is a most wonderful day!”

Robin and Cyborg slid out of the booth, walking up to Terra as well. Robin smiled easily. “Let’s have some dinner.”

“Sounds great.”

Rith already had a good meal cooking for everyone, and it wasn’t long before they were sharing it around the counter, laughing and smiling like never before. Even Raven was cracking the occasional joke (usually at Beast Boy’s expense). Sitting beside each other as they ate, Beast Boy and Terra shared a smile as the others went off on some old story. Though they glanced off again, under the counter their hands met, and softly squeezed each other. Both started to blush a bit, but the others didn’t seem to notice.

They finally let go of each other’s hands, and grinned easily as they continued munching on the wonderful food. Finally, Terra, around a mouthful of eggs and cheese, asked, “Wow, Riff. You’re cooking iff reawy goof…!” she blushed, holding food in her mouth before it spewed out, and recovered with a fresh, big grin.

He chuckled a bit, sipping some tea (Raven enjoying some of her own off on the side). “Thank you for saying so, Terra. I’m just glad you like it.”

Terra gave a thumbs up, and continued scarfing down. Starfire, however, clapped happily, and added, “Yes, yes! Rith has even become quite accomplished at cooking some of my favorite Tamaranian dishes!”

This time Terra blinked in surprise, and glanced over to see Rith give a subtly shake of his head and a meek smile. She half-smiled, and kept eating.

Soon everyone was full and happy. Rith seemed quite happy to take care of the dishes as well, making more than one Titan feel a bit guilty (even Raven did this time), but his polite insistence prevented any ideas to the contrary. So, gradually, the Titans all retreated to their rooms for the night, most all of them falling into a restful sleep…

* * *

Starlight drifted through the windows in Terra’s desert-themed room, her personal couch facing the beautiful view, her bed nestled in the opposite wall, the door over to the left if one’s back was to the window. Terra herself was lying in her bed, under the covers, but was clearly not having a pleasant time. Her face tightened as her expression shivered, her head lolling from side to side every few moments. Her right knee abruptly bent, then she almost kicked off her covers.

Memories warped by fear into fresh nightmares. One in particular was haunting her. Raven, when they had fought in the computer facility, when Terra had worked for Slade… when she had tried to kill them all. Raven had almost beaten her, despite Terra knowing her biggest weakness… her heart. The darker girl’s rage had come loose, and right up to the last moment, she almost had Terra at her mercy. She could see it so clearly, feel the self-righteous hate Slade had burned into her mind as she forced arms of muddy water to pull the warped, furious girl back toward the mud below.

Raven twisted and growled, her cloak unnaturally long, flowing down like a mud-caked, blue-cloth water-fall into the mud below. Pushing further, further… down into the mud… down into the darkness. Terra’s heart split as she remembered what she had done, and then she saw it. Raven finally snapped out of her anger as her chin hit the mud, sputtering for air, her eyes flaring in panic. And it was Terra doing it, _she_ was drowning her, pushing and pulling her into the mud as Raven struggled and lashed out for air. Those widened, lavender eyes burned into Terra’s heart like red-hot pokers.

“ _RAVEN!?_ ” she screamed, the memory becoming nightmare as she took on her own role, trying to save her friend from her own power… but she couldn’t. The more she tried, the more the mud sucked Raven down. That horrified expression froze in Terra’s eyes, her own melting with pained guilt.

Then Beast Boy, knocked off the edge of a chasm. Cyborg denied any holdings on the same edge, both falling, Beast Boy’s last attempt to talk some sense into her. She tried! She tried to help them this time, but her powers refused. They only hurt her friends worse. Starfire, sent flying off a cliff, too stunned to fly. Finally, Robin… buried. Every time she tried, and every time her powers denied her control, hurt her friends.

Once more, Raven coughing, gasping and sputtering for air in thick, muddy water filled Terra’s mind, horribly alone and desperate. Terra fell to her knees in darkness, clutching her head as tears welled up in her eyes. _NO! Please stop it! I’m sorry, I’m so_ sorry _! Please stop this!_ For some reason her eyes opened, and she stared down in growing horror as Raven’s fearfully shocked eyes fell under the mud again. “ _RAVEN!_ ” Terra screamed, and dove to help her…

Terra snapped upright in her bed. “NO!” she screamed, her hair flailing about, tears splattering down into her lap as her hands clenched her blanket with white knuckles. She gasped, breathing heavily for a few seconds, her eyes wide with shock. She faded, and dropped her face into her waiting hand, tears dripping down her cheeks. “…I’m so sorry…”

When Terra awoke, her startled scream had been just loud enough to reach outside her room, through her windows and door. Rith, sitting on the roof, furrowed his brow with concern, but didn’t move to comfort Terra himself. He had a much more appropriate idea…

For a further few seconds, Terra just sat where she was, quietly whimpering at the horrible memories, and her own nightmare of losing control in the worst possible way. _Her_ power, completely against her will, attacking _her_ friends. She clutched her arms, shivering as she really started to cry, sobbing gently on her bed.

A knock at her door made the poor girl jump with fright, her head spinning around the edge of the wall to look at the entrance to her room.

“…Terra?” Beast Boy’s anxious voice called through the door. “…Terra, are you okay?”

Outside, he stood with a worried frown on his face, slowly letting his hand down from the door. He could have sworn he heard Rith’s voice telling him Terra needed him, but maybe he’d just been dreaming? He almost turned away when the door rushed open… and revealed a pitiful Terra standing before him in her pajamas. Beast Boy blinked, seeing her puffy, tear-filled eyes, shivering lips, and her sweat-damp clothing.

“T-Terra… what’s wrong?”

“Beast Boy!” she exclaimed with a gasp of air, grabbing onto him. He quickly hugged her back, realizing she just needed _someone_ with her that moment. The poor girl started to sob into his shoulder.

Anxiously patting her shoulders, Beast Boy glanced from side to side. “Hey, it’ll be okay… why don’t we go inside? I think you probably want some privacy, right?”

She just nodded against his shoulder, and the green Titan quietly led her back into her room. The door shut, and he sat down with her on the couch, Terra holding onto him and continuing to cry softly, her tears soaking into his own pajama-shirt. He felt terrible for her, but, also, he’d never felt so _good_ , that he could be there for her, in that moment, that she needed someone like him there. He softly patted her hair. “It’ll be okay… I promise…”

Finally getting back some of her voice, Terra started to explain. “I-I… remembered everything I did… when I was hunting you guys… betraying you… I saw you all, falling away, but… the worst… Raven… I can’t get her eyes out of my head!” she whimpered, clutching his shirt with her fists desperately, trying to squeeze the image out of her mind. “She was drowning, Beast Boy. _I_ was drowning her! I was supposed to be her friend, and I was making her gasp and struggle just to breathe! You guys… you’ve all done so much for me, but she… She’s put her life on the line for me like you did, but you always liked me, Beast Boy. I can’t explain why, but you did.”

Beast Boy was a bit overwhelmed with such a flood of emotion, but he held onto her, making sure she knew he was there for her. “Of course I like you, Terra. You’re a good person, you’re funny, you’re nice… Slade just… used your pain, pushed you to do bad things…”

“But I _still did them_!” she sobbed, hanging onto him. “Poor Raven… she was just angry at me, angry because I betrayed her. I hurt her heart first, that was the real betrayal, but then I… I can’t believe I didn’t stop, Beast Boy… I can’t stand what I did! All I see is her gasping for air, and I can’t help her! _I’m the one drowning her_!”

Beast Boy braced himself, and then pulled Terra up by her shoulders to look into his eyes. She pitifully obeyed his physical command, her eyes dripping tears continuously. “Hey… Hey!” he tried to get her attention back to reality, to the moment. She sniffed, a bit startled, afraid he was angry, but he quickly put her at east with a softened smile. “I just need you to think straight for a second, okay? Terra… dude, it’s okay. It is. I’m not gonna say what you did isn’t majorly bad, but you’re _not going to do it again_ ,” he powerfully listed out to her, gripping her shoulders. “Raven believes that, I do, we all do. But _you_ have to, too.”

“But I’m so afraid I will…”

“Good.”

She blinked meekly at him.

“Because that way you’ll make sure you won’t, but you can’t let it freak you out like this, Terra. Come on, it’s just a nightmare now, just a bad dream. You and Raven are friends, we’re friends, everyone here, all the Titans, we’re your friends, Terra. Besides…” he offered a big grin like always, “you two really kicked that Canis-thingy’s butt back to jail. You and Raven, you two gave him the knock-out punch, remember?”

Terra sniffled, nodding with a little smile. “Y-yeah… you’re right, I… wasn’t really thinking about stuff like that.”

“But it’s just as true as the bad stuff you’re feeling so bad about, right? And that’s what _just_ happened, _after_ all the bad stuff. See? You’re a good guy, too,” Beast Boy finished with a little laugh.

Terra actually giggled, wiping her eyes as she sat on her legs beside him. “Yeah… I am… thanks to you guys.” She exhaled, and smiled at him. “Thank you, Beast Boy… For everything.”

He bashfully smiled back as well, scratching his head. “Hey, no problemo! Just… being a pal, right?”

A mildly mischievous hint grew in her happy expression. “Just a ‘pal’, huh?”

He blinked, blushing a bit more. “W-well… yeah… Um…”

Her cheeks pink, Terra leaned over and kissed him on one of his own, sitting back with a meek smile, glancing down to the side as she pressed her hands into her legs. Beast Boy blinked, turned red, and fell over. Terra gave an ‘eep!’, and leaned over him from the couch. “You okay?”

His hand came up, giving a thumbs-up. “Awesome…”

Terra raised a hand to her lips as she giggled, and finally helped the poor boy up to his feet.

Rith smiled as he sensed Beast Boy meekly stepping back out of Terra’s room, both blushing and saying goodnight before the shape-shifter walked back to his own room. He hadn’t eavesdropped, but he had a fair idea of what had happened to the poor girl. Everyone had to work through their guilt, but they also needed forgiveness. _We are not solitary creatures, by any means…_ He focused on the idea, and used it for his further meditations that night.

* * *

The next day, a couple of hours past noon, Raven was just walking through the tower after her meditation on the roof when Terra hurried up to her from the other direction. Raven drew to a stop as the blond girl excitedly ran to her, actually a bit short of breath when she finally stopped. “Whew, sorry! I just… wanted to talk to you before I went out to practice with Robin and Cy.”

Raven smiled a bit, but was still at a loss. “Something wrong?”

Terra stood up as she caught her breath, smiled, and then Raven noticed a strangely powerful current of emotion behind the other girl’s eyes. A bit concerned, she was about to ask what was wrong again when Terra abruptly came over and hugged her. Raven blinked, her arms awkwardly frozen past the thinner girl, a startled blush on her cheeks. “T-Terra…?”

Terra just held on for a moment. “Sorry to freak you out, but I just… needed to hug you, Raven.”

Completely bewildered, Raven finally patted the girl’s shoulders. “Ah… don’t worry about it…”

Terra finally pulled back, grinning. “You really aren’t angry with me at all…”

An eyebrow up, the darker girl blinked. “Should I be?”

The earth-mover giggled nervously, scratching the back of her head. “No, no, I didn’t do anything stupid today, I just…” She calmed, letting her hand down, and looked at Raven with intent. “I had a nightmare last night, and it reminded me how awful I was to you… back when I worked for Slade. I… can’t really get the look on your face out of my head.”

Softened by the admission, Raven was still a bit confused. “My expression when?”

Terra looked down with a guilty frown. “When you were going under the mud…”

Raven winced a bit. It hadn’t been a pleasant experience, no, but… She gave Terra a faint smile. “Terra, we can all see you’re past that now. You’re taking responsibility, doing the right thing by practicing, and we trust you. I think everyone in this tower has made mistakes. Some more obvious than others,” she admitted with a faint nod to Terra, “but we all have. I can tell you’re sincere, even if you hadn’t proved it several times over since you recovered.” She reached over, and put a hand on Terra’s shoulder. “That’s all in the past, it’s over. They’re just bad dreams now.” She pulled her hand back. “Use them as incentive to push yourself harder while training, but don’t let them make you too afraid to act.”

The third female Titan could only smile back gently, avoiding tears again. Raven half-smiled in her usual dry, but sincere manner. “Go on. Robin and Cyborg are probably waiting for you.”

Terra blanched. “Oh gosh, you’re right! Sorry! Thank you so much, Raven!” she blurred out, shaking Raven’s hand so rapidly the purple-haired girl could barely keep up. “I’ll practice extra hard!” She took off the next second, leaving a dust-cloud streak for her wake.

Raven smiled, gently laughed, and continued on her way. Though she had no doubts about Terra’s sincerity, that the girl was so guilty about that specific incident did touch Raven quite a bit. Of course, she had her own guilt on the matter, for turning so utterly against Terra, but it seemed she and Terra each felt the other had been quite forgiving about the event. She would do her best to be more caring if she was betrayed again, and Terra was doing her best not to fall to the weakness that had made her betray them in the first place. They were each making amends.

* * *

Over the course of the next week, Terra proved very disciplined about her training, and everyone noticed her improvements. She had much more precision _and_ power in her techniques, and had even figured out how to create one automaton like the behemoths Slade had helped her make to fight the Titans before. It was a bit sluggish and awkward compared to her original pair, but considering she was solely relying on her own strength, it was most impressive.

Further, the few trouble-alerts they responded to allowed Terra to get back into the swing of things with the team. She and Starfire took out a group of thieves between a suddenly formed wall in front of their escape, and a barrage of low-power starbolts knocking them out. She helped slow down a runaway train near the city by making the dirt fill in beneath the vehicle, forcing it off the tracks in a controlled manner, slowing it down to a stop so that the Titans could help get everyone off. The Teen Titans, all seven of them, really were back in action. Almost as though she’d never left, Terra was just another member of the quirky little family.

Late one night, after most everyone was already asleep, Raven was walking down one of the halls in the tower. She yawned. “Milk sounds surprisingly refreshing right now,” she muttered, just reaching the door of the main training room. Seeing something moving inside, she froze, and quickly jerked against the side of the opening, peering around the edge suspiciously. By the time her eyes could make out what it was in the gloom of the darkened room, she almost laughed at herself, easing upright. Rith was inside, apparently practicing. Raven stood upright, about to walk off, when she paused, and looked in carefully again, intrigued.

His staff and cloak neatly set aside on the ground beside the mat at the other end of the room, Rith wore only his baggy tunic, pants, and sandals as he adroitly sprang, flipped, and spun into various attacks, gliding through dozens of motions every heartbeat, flowing back and forth as if caught in an invisible rip-tide. There was an almost feminine grace to his movements Raven hadn’t particularly noticed before, and as she watched then, realized he seemed to be more dancing than sparring.

When she realized she was actually enjoying the view, Raven blushed, surprising herself with it, and quickly glanced down. She was just about to leave him to his sparring, when he landed from a hop-kick, and relaxed for a breather. His eyebrows flicked up, and he focused over at the doorway. “R-Raven?”

She jerked, as if caught escaping, and gave him a nervous smile as she turned back around, unable to control her need to blush. “Hi, Rith… Sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in on you…” _I was just standing here for three minutes…_ She was privately dismal.

Only then did she notice how embarrassed he was as well. Sweating and exerted as he was, his cheeks were more red than exercise would have inflicted as he scratched the back of his dampened hair. “N-not a problem. I was just… uh… sparring.” _I must look like a mess… great…_

Raven started to walk further into the room, which surprised him. She came right up to his mat with a faint smile on her beautiful face. “Having trouble sleeping again?”

He calmed while softening his smile, nodding. “Bad dreams.”

A surprising amount of sympathy appeared on Raven’s face. “Still?”

Rith bowed his head with a faint laugh. “Still.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

He would have blinked, his face rising to reveal his sincerely surprised expression. “T-talk? Uh… I…” he shrugged helplessly. “Just dreams, I’m rather used to them.”

Though she smiled in her usual dry manner, Rith thought he sensed some disappointment in her expression. “Right. Sorry to bother you.” She started to turn away, waving gently.

The desire to end the interaction on anything _other_ than that note surged. “W-wait! Please…?” He tried to cover his abrupt demand.

Raven paused, looking back at him with some surprise. She’d never really head him speak with such anxious urgency. “What’s up?”

He offered a faint smile. “I didn’t mean to offend you… I … Just… try to not to bother people with my small problems. I very much appreciate that you would ask.”

She turned apologetic. “No, no, I’m sorry…” she sighed. “You’re always there for me, I thought maybe I could return the favor…”

“But you do…”

She glanced up at him, a bit confused. “How?”

He blushed, but remembered his oath. “All you have to do is be near me, and I feel much better about everything.”

Raven was gently blushing, her eyebrows rising. “I really affect you that much?”

He nodded with gentle honesty. Then he flashed a smile, scratched his hair, and turned to collect his things. “S-sorry, I’m making this really awkward. Um… right…”

Soft surprise remained on her face. It was so clear to her in that moment, how infatuated he was, and she found herself very flattered. It was strange, though. She was so much trouble, why did he care so much about her? “Rith…?”

He spun around, almost like a deer in headlights. “Yes?”

She giggled gently, and nodded back to the exit. “Would you like a glass of milk? I was just going to get one myself.”

It was clear how much the offer touched him. “…I would very much, thank you…”

Raven waited for him to put his cloak back on, and then walked out with him as he held his staff gently on the side. “Rith?” she asked softly as they walked.

More under control, his usual self, he smiled gently, and gave her his full attention. “Yes?”

She just looked up at him happily. “If you ever did need to talk about something, would you please give me a chance to help?”

Rith was genuinely stuck for a response. He was so honored, he couldn’t believe she was _asking_ to do it. “O-of course I would…”

Raven smiled warmly, nodded her thanks to him, and looked ahead as they continued to walk. She knew how Rith felt very well, but she still wanted to ask it. With Trigon defeated and Terra rescued, Raven didn’t have so many worries pressing on her heart, and she wanted to be as good a friend to Rith as he had been to her.

“Raven?”

She blinked, looking up at him again.

Rith smiled at her as they reached the living room. “Thank you…”

She grew gently curious. “For what?”

His smile only grew. “For caring.”

She blushed gently, and they moved to the kitchen. After Raven poured the milk (insisting on it), they sat down, and enjoyed a lovely chat about the recent events in the tower and among their friends. She had such a pleasant time whenever she was around Rith, it was always relaxing and exciting at once, always… safe.

When they were done, she started to bring their cups to the sink, but Rith hurried over. “Ah, ah. I _must_ clean them now.”

They both shared a soft laugh as he finally pulled the cups from her hands (privately careful not to touch her fingers), and washed them out briefly.

Raven stood by for a moment, and when he turned to her as he finished, she gave a gentle, if not mischievous smile. “You’re really cute sometimes,” she said, and then gently kissed his cheek. “Good night, Rith.”

Her comment made him blush, and her kiss completely knocked him for a loop. He touched his cheek as he looked at her. “G-good night, Raven.”

She controlled a giggle for his sake, finding his shocked embarrassment adorable, and hurried off to her room. Rith watched the door shut after her cloak, still standing in the dim room, stunned. She was so gentle about it, too… Finally, he shook his head at himself with a light smile, and headed off to his own room. It had been a wonderful night.


	15. Starlight

It was a normal afternoon in Titan Tower. Terra and Beast Boy were playfully infuriated with each other over videogames, Cyborg was relaxing in his workshop, tinkering with the T-Car, and Robin was showing Starfire some basic escape techniques when being grappled from behind (Starfire noticed how easily she caught him and knocked him flat on his back the longer they practiced, and started giggling after each attempt). Raven, who had become quite light-hearted by comparison to her former self, while retaining her usual wry humor and rare displays of emotion, was meditating quietly in her room. No one really knew where Rith was at the moment, but assumed he was either meditating, or working on some self-assigned chore. He seemed to do nothing but chores and meditating, in fact, unless he played the sound-game with the others.

That day, however, Rith was walking up to Raven’s door. He was a bit anxious as he moved with his staff, not sure if he should try then, or wait for later, perhaps when he was sure he wasn’t interrupting something. The blind boy feared his courage would fail him if he let himself wait, so he steeled his nerves, and stepped up to the door. Giving himself a clearing exhale, he reached up, and gently rapped on the door.

A few seconds later, it cracked open a few inches, showing Raven, her hood down, peering around the edge. It was an old habit that had survived despite her growing comfort around the others. Seeing a gently (if not anxiously) smiling Rith at her door surprised her, and she let it open completely with a soft push of her hand.

“Hello, Raven…” Rith began.

The pale girl wasn’t sure what to make of his odd mood, and so she blinked, managing, “Hi…”

His head sank with his shoulders and a soft sigh. “I’m not good at this kind of thing…” He inhaled to re-inflate his frame, and asked with a faint smile, “May I ask you something?”

Now curious, Raven nodded. “Sure.”

Clearing his throat a bit, Rith took more than the usual amount of time to consider his actual question. “…I hope I’m not causing a problem by…” He exhaled with irritation at his own foolishness, and focused again, “I don’t want this to make you awkward, but I feel like I have to ask. If you say no, I’ll never bring it up again.”

Lavender eyes blinked once more as Raven attempted to gauge just what he was talking about. He’d forced himself back to his usual confident honesty (and self-deprecating, it seemed), but she could _feel_ the anxiety pouring off him. “Well… what is it?” she asked while somewhat helplessly raising one eyebrow.

Rith turned meek again, smiling with a faint blush as he scratched the back of his head. “…May I ask you out on a date?” His blush flared after he finally said it. His heart was already racing, and his legs were starting to feel numb.

Raven’s eyes grew wide as she blushed herself. “…A date…?”

He quickly waved his hand from side to side. “Please, don’t worry about it. I really don’t want to make you feel awkward in your own home. If you’d rather not deal with that kind of thing, I completely understand, I just… had to… ask…” he trailed off, falling back into an adorably meek, mildly dismal stance with lowered shoulders and a dipped head, his hands fiddling with his staff.

Unfortunately for him, Raven was having a hard time comprehending everything after the word ‘date’ left his mouth. Thoughts and feelings were whirling through her mind like a storm. She immediately wanted to say yes, but then all her anxieties flooded in, worries about how the others would react, if she wasn’t making a mistake, what on earth they would _do_ on the date… if he wouldn’t find out he hated her for some reason… In the end, she looked down, clearly agitated and adorably embarrassed as she suddenly found her own hands very interesting. “Uh… Rith, I…” Her throat was too dry, and this time her cheeks were almost burning hot.

The boy grinned, giggling a bit as he scratched at his hair again. “Oh… I’ve really made you awkward, haven’t I? I’m really sorry. Don’t worry, just… I won’t bring it up again, it was probably a mistake to-!”

She cut him off with a sudden flare of panic on her face, staring up into his eyes. “N-no! I didn’t… mean it like that…”

His sympathy for her overrode his embarrassment completely, and he relaxed back into his endearing kindness. “Raven… are you alright? I’m very sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you…” he trailed off as she shook her head, actually smiling a bit.

“You didn’t. You just… surprised me. I haven’t ever… been asked out on a date before…” Her blush powerfully clung to her cheeks as she glanced down to the side again. This time, however, a little smile refused to leave her pale lips.

Rith would have blinked. “…You haven’t?”

Raven looked at him again, finding his completely sincere confusion at the idea as adorable as his perpetual kindness to her. For some reason, she couldn’t resist a soft giggle. “No, I haven’t. You’re the first…”

The blind boy’s blush returned with a vengeance (apparently very annoyed at being forgotten for a brief period), and Raven heard him cough faintly as he tried to regain the use of his throat. “T-the first…?” All the imperfections in his approach flooded his mind. How rude of him to ask her like this? Her first offer of a date is from some idiot blind kid stumbling over his own words…

Seeing his fresh embarrassment had the most curious effect on Raven. Though she remained a bit anxious herself, her strength flared, seeing how vulnerable he was in that moment. He’d opened himself up to her, taken a huge risk for his own emotions, and put them at her mercy. Not only could she not bare to crush them, so sincerely offered as they were, but she also _wanted_ to embrace them, let him know he hadn’t made a mistake… that it was something she wanted, too. She even understood why he was so embarrassed again so suddenly, and it only made her smile in growing fondness. He was so _cute_ sometimes. “I think I couldn’t have asked for a better first try, though,” she offered gently in a voice warmed with mild humor.

Rith stopped, his eyebrows rising over his scarred eyelids, his hands relaxing around his staff. “…Really?”

Her beautiful smile blossomed on her face as she became sincerely happy. “It sounds fun… What did you want to do?”

An astonished moue only made him all the more adorable in her eyes, and she actually had to stifle a giggle as he finally tilted his head down and quietly explained, “Uh… I had a few… different ideas… I was going to let you pick the one you liked… the most… or we could, um… try to fit in as many as we could…” He was fiddling with his own fingers while keeping his staff from falling to the floor.

“Like what?” she continued, letting her warm smile relax him.

Rith started to recover from his heart-felt shock (and relief), and answered, “I know you like that coffee shop you showed me before, and they’re having a poetry recital this evening. Also, um… there are a few clubs open that you might like--i-if you wanted to dance--and…” He shook his head, as if dismissing one idea, “I know I had a few others. Oh what were they…?”

Still fondly amused, Raven grew a bit curious. “Did you leave one out there?”

He blushed afresh. “…Yes…”

The sense that he only answered because of a very conscious remembrance of his oath to her filled her mind. She continued to smile, though some dry humor crept into it this time. “Well…?”

Rith bowed his head, clearing his throat a few times. “Ahem, well… ahem… I thought… ahem… you and--Do you really want to know this?” he tried to escape once more.

Raven smirked, crossed her arms, and angled her stance. She wasn’t backing down.

Rith exhaled dismally. “…I thought you might like to just… go somewhere quiet and look at the stars tonight…” His blush spread over most of his face. “I had lots of other ideas! I swear, I just… can’t remember them right now…”

Despite his attempt to recover himself, Raven’s expression softened at his ‘bad idea’. As she let her arms down, her eyebrows rose up a subtle amount, an almost wistful manner coming over her. “…Actually, Rith… that sounds really nice.”

He froze for a heart-beat. “…It does?”

She just gave him a gentle nod, smiling.

Rith tipped his head down again. “W-well… in that case,” he managed to calm his voice down at last, “would you like to go out this evening, and… finish where we can… enjoy the starlight?” His old, wonderful smile was back.

“That sounds great,” she sincerely answered. “What places would you enjoy? Both people are supposed to have fun on a date, right?”

His strength was finally coming back as he kept his smile. “If you’re with me, I’ll be as happy as I can be.”

The girl blushed gently, giggling. “The funny thing is… I really believe you when you say that.”

Rith bowed to her in response, and, as he straightened, asked, “So what would _you_ like to do for fun?”

Raven looked at him as she thought, a mildly mischievous hint in her smile. “…How about… a club, then some tea, and then we find a quiet spot for a while?”

The blind boy grinned. “Sounds wonderful. …Ever been to ‘the Dungeon’?” This time his smile was mischievous.

Raven blinked, amused and surprised at once. “You know about that place? I didn’t think you liked that kind of music…” her expression grew playfully suspicious.

Rith couldn’t resist a half-grin. “You don’t know _what_ kind of music I like.”

They both laughed, relaxing and excited with the idea at once. Raven finally nodded. “Sounds like fun. What time did you want to go out?”

“Around eight?”

“Sounds fine.”

Rith was grinning. “Thank you so much, Raven.”

She blinked, still amused. “For what? You’re the one taking me out.”

“And you’re the one letting me.”

She could only giggle once more before they bid each other a temporary farewell, and he left her to her room again. As the door closed behind her and she walked back to her bed, Raven couldn’t help smiling. She wouldn’t have realized without his asking, but she’d been wanting to go out on a date with Rith for a long time.

* * *

In the later afternoon, most of the Titans were in the living room. Raven was reading a book on the couch off to the side, Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing the racing game again, Robin was, once again, sparring quietly off on the raised walkway facing the windows on the right side of the room, and Starfire and Terra were playing the very enthusiastic audience to the video-game ‘masters’ as they worked. Raven couldn’t resist a smirk as she listened.

“Come on, Beast Boy!” Terra yelled. “Show Cy what you’re made of!”

Flushed with her support, Beast Boy pulled ahead of Cyborg on one sharp turn, making the half-metal Titan growl and focus more.

“Despair not, Cyborg! You can still defeat Beast Boy in the timed acceleration challenge!” Starfire pepped him up energetically.

The two boys shared a glare, and focused with chibi determination on a straightaway, their vehicles bashing into each other, grinding and sparking on the screen. Cyborg tried to pull ahead, but his vehicle got clipped, and twisted into the side, exploding. He face-vaulted, Beast Boy and Terra yelling as the green Titan’s car shot across the finish line. Starfire pouted, patting Cyborg on the shoulder. “You raced very well, friend. Sometimes the digital vehicles explode even for the best masters.”

He sighed. “Thanks, Star…”

Terra held Beast Boy’s hand up in the air, a cheering audience popping up out of nowhere as she stuffed a microphone in his face. “You’ve defeated the amazing Cyborg, Beast Boy. What are your plans?”

“Um… get a snack… and ask for a rematch!”

The pair burst out laughing, and Beast Boy hopped over in front of Cyborg. “Whaddya think, Cy?”

Cyborg glared up at him for a moment, then smirked. “You’re on.” Starfire floated up and down, giggling.

Robin hopped down from his sparring. “I’ll race the winner, if that’s alright?”

“Sounds cool,” Beast Boy replied, Cyborg giving a thumbs up as he sat back to let the greener friend get some food.

Meanwhile, Raven checked a clock on the wall with raised eyebrows. It was near eight. She smiled, closed her book, and stood up. She also wasn’t surprised when Rith came walking into the living room just as she was walking for the door. He smiled happily, practically glowing with joy. “Are you ready?”

Raven nodded. “Yeah. We just flying?”

“Seemed easy enough. I could ask Cyborg if I we can borrow the T-Car, if you like?”

She shook her head, becoming more excited as she started up the stairs.

Beast Boy looked over at them, blinking. “…Where are you guys going?” The others were looking back out of idle curiosity themselves as he asked.

Raven just gave them a mischievous grin over her shoulder as she joined Rith near the doors. “Out on a date.”

Slack-jawed and spinny-eyed to a person, the other Titans gawked, Beast Boy practically dropping his tofu. “A-a-a WHAT!?” the shape-shifter finally managed to bellow, twitching from the disruption to the normalcy of his world.

Rith waited when Raven turned around, the blind boy blushing and smiling nervously to the others. The pale girl seemed quite amused by the others’ surprise. “He asked me out, and it sounded fun. We should be back in a few hours…?” she glanced back to Rith to check. He nodded easily.

Starfire finally recovered, zipping up to the pair as she glowed with happiness herself. “How wondrous! Friend Rith finally gathered the courage to act on his affections! Oh, please have a wonderful time! Do many fun things, and when you return, Terra and I shall await your detailed report!” Hands clasped beside one cheek, feet up as she floated, the alien girl nodded rapidly in anticipation.

Rith only blushed worse at the idea of the date being dissected afterward, but Raven just giggled. “We’re just going to hang out together for a while. We have our communicators if something comes up,” she said, looking over at Robins specifically, Rith holding his up as proof.

Robin finally just smiled, leaning against the couch near the TV. “No problem. Have a great time, you two. Congratulations.”

The blind boy grinned with embarrassment still glowing on his cheeks, but Raven actually nodded, and said, “Thank you,” quite sincerely to the team leader.

Cyborg and Terra recovered at last, sharing happy smiles and each giving a thumbs-up. Poor Beast Boy was still in shock (probably because he realized Terra might be expecting another date invitation soon). Raven waved, Rith bowed, and the doors shut quietly behind them.

Still grinning, Cyborg turned to the others. “Well alright. It’s about time, is all I can say.”

Terra laughed. “No kidding. I think they’re great for each other.”

Starfire dove down between them. “It is perfection itself!”

Robin chuckled. “I don’t know about ‘perfection’, Star, but I’m sure they’ll have a great evening.” Looking over to the kitchen, his smile turned a bit sympathetic. “You might want to snap out of it before your food falls on the floor, Beast Boy.”

Unfortunately, the shape-shifter finally keeled over from the shock. Terra pouted and hurried over to help him, the others sighing and amused. “Too late,” Robin muttered, he, Cyborg, and Starfire sweat-dropped.

* * *

Upon stepping through the doors under the large black-light sign ‘The Dungeon’, Raven looked up amid the pulsing music and uttered one simple word. “Cool.” Raven smiled to herself as they walked in, seeing a small ocean of dancing people having a wild time to the rapid, industrial, trance-techno music blasting the large warehouse building. Booths and tables were arrayed around the sides, and the DJ was over in the back, jamming to the tunes he was using. Raven idly wondered if he even cared if anyone else was there.

The multi-colored lights, foggy ceiling, and dark nature of the building’s interior all struck Raven the right way. Some called it creepy, but to her it was just a certain, gritty catharsis she enjoyed every so often. As she walked further in with Rith, however, she glanced to him considerately. “Are you okay in here?” She could barely hear herself over the music, her body _feeling_ every beat quite clearly.

Rith grinned. “If it doesn’t surprise me, I can handle quite a bit. Thank you very much for checking though.”

She just smiled back, noticing that she heard his voice perfectly well. Rith followed her lead for a while, and she led them to a booth right beside the dance floor. “The music is good tonight. Sometimes they get a little repetitive here.”

Rith shrugged easily. “Trance does that sometimes.”

“Aptly named, I guess,” Raven offered, and Rith agreed before they shared a light laugh.

Raven casually glanced across the dance-floor as the song playing started to end. Many people were exhausted, and so the floor cleared a bit. Rith tilted his head faintly. “I do like the music here. Excellent for sparring.”

His companion gave him an amused smirk. “Is that the only good part to you?”

“Well what’s the good part to you?” he retorted in kind.

“The release… I always feel like I can vent through the music… let my emotions out safely…” She had lowered her voice, completely inaudible normally thanks to the loud music as another song started up, but she knew Rith heard her.

Rith smiled. “I agree… Do you dance? Even just sometimes in your room, or wherever you listen to your music?”

Raven blushed a bit at the idea. “Sometimes, only alone though. I’m not really good at it…”

As the song built up, people really started dancing again. Rith nodded out to them. “I don’t think anyone here is professional. Would you like to try?”

Normally, she would have refused, happy to listen and chat for a while, but this time she felt strangely energetic, the music very much tempting her to just get out there and follow its lead. Though she still had a light blush on her cheeks, she nodded. “Sure.”

Her date smiled, and hopped out, taking his cloak off, wrapping it around his staff, and resting them in the booth. Then he offered his hand to her. “Have fun, Raven.”

Her beautiful smile reformed as she gripped his hand, and slipped out onto the floor with him. The pair quickly ran right into the midst of the teeming mass of dancers, and Raven--giggling at herself--started to dance, swinging sharply left and right, her hair flying around as her cloak twisted around her body. Once she found her rhythm, scarcely believing she was dancing along with so many complete strangers able to see her, she looked over and saw Rith. She paused a bit, quite astonished at how well he danced.

The boy was practically flying. His arms coiled and writhed as his body spiraled, legs trading foot for foot over and over, some part of him snapping out or twisting with each beat, and the beats came like the drops from a rain-storm with the speed of the song. Raven fell back into her own dancing, a faint smile lingering on her face as she let loose, however subtle the emotional release really was. The more she moved, the more energy she found to use. It was as though her body had been waiting for some kind of physical expression to her emotional relief after defeating Trigon. She just felt _good_.

“Raven…”

She looked over as she spun around, her arms trailing, and saw Rith just drifting to a stop in a wrapped-up pose. “Want to use a little power?”

With anyone else, she would have worried, not sure if they knew the risks, but with Rith, she could relax. She nodded. The blind boy immediately uncoiled, waves of concentrated sound pulsing toward her. Raven flowed back, her arms and legs moving around as her soulself gently grew out, grasping the ‘hardened’ sound and pulling it into a new dance all around her. Not just her body, but her very power itself was dancing. Rith danced into rapid yet smooth gyrations, generating more and more waves of sound for her to catch and use.

People began to spread off the floor, watching and marveling at the display, some clearly pointing to Raven and talking to their friends or dates, undoubtedly recognizing the Teen Titan.

Rith leapt into the air and spun like a top as he angled toward the ground, a small storm of sound pouring toward Raven. She just flowed back, trading from leg to leg with smooth spins as she pulled the sound into a whirling ballet of shadowed waves, her hair sparkling around her cheeks.

Finally, Rith landed, but kept spinning around, lashing waves to Raven with each turn, as if he was throwing them out of his open palms just for her to catch. It was controlled, disciplined, but it was still a _release_ , a wonderfully exhilarating use of skill and ability.

The music started to fade, and Rith saw Raven slowing to a graceful stop, her arms flowing down through her own cloak as her hair dropped along her cheeks. He spun to a smooth stop himself, their powers fading. Both were breathing heavily, flushed with exertion, but were smiling as they finally faced each other, the DJ shifting to another song.

Abruptly, half the crowd burst into applause, several men whistling in appreciation, and Raven blushed with a light laugh, letting her cloak fall around her again. Rith walked up to her smiling. “Enjoy yourself?”

“Actually… yeah,” she answered happily.

Her date grinned, and they walked back to their booth. Rith was still sweating a bit, so he didn’t put his cloak back on right away. Raven caught her breath more smoothly, and sat back, giggling afresh. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“You’re a very good dancer,” Rith replied with his usual sincerity.

The pale girl softened her smile and glanced down, a mild blush returning to her cheeks. “…Thanks for taking me out, Rith.”

“Believe me, madam,” he began happily, “it’s my pleasure.”

* * *

Less than a half-hour later, they were just sitting down in the much quieter café with a steaming cup of tea each. People were gathered near the small stage, listening to poetry (generally dark and dreary), but the pair of them were quite happy in the small booth near where they’d sat before. Raven sipped her tea with closed eyes and a soft sigh as she let it back down. “So peaceful… A girl could get used to this,” she muttered with subtle humor.

Rith shared it fondly, and sipped his own tea. It was so wonderful to sense the happiness on her face. Though he could scarcely believe it, she was even more beautiful than before, her inner peace letting her true purity shine through all the better.

Raven glanced up at him gently, recognizing the wistful smile on his lips from long experience with him by this point. “Rith, I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

His eyebrows rose as he focused on her words, raising his eyeless gaze to her own. “Raven, you don’t need to thank me for anything…” His attempt at his usual kindness and gratitude only met a gently amused smile from the young woman.

Shaking her head, Raven continued, “When we first met, I was really suspicious of you,” she felt his desire to interrupt, but he didn’t let himself, which she appreciated, “however justified it was,” she conceded for him anyway, “and yet you were always very polite and kind to me. You actually defended my behavior to my friends, at your own expense. You never tried to take the easy way to trust.” She flashed a brighter smile, “You almost dug your own grave you tried so hard not to.”

Rith could only give an anxious smile, self-consciously scratching his head as he blushed a bit.

The darker Titan continued, “After we helped defeat Dr. Gear, I knew I could trust you… but when I realized you were willing to die for me in that fight with Slade…” she glanced down. “No one deserves that kind of devotion, Rith…”

“I know,” he answered smoothly, calling her eyes back up to his face. He gently smiled. “I give it freely and happily.”

Her expression softened with concern. “Why?”

“Because _I_ think you do deserve it.” He leaned onto the table with a calmer smile. “From the moment we met, I could sense a deep pain in you. I always want to help people, but I knew you were more than capable of handling yourself. If it had _you_ worried, my capacity to help was doubtful. So I determined that the best way for me to help you, was not to get in your way, support your efforts if at all possible, and simply be a friend to you. You already had so many,” he laughed faintly, Raven smiling a bit, “but you still seemed very…” he winced a bit, not sure how to say it.

“…Lonely?” Raven offered with a mildly dismal turn to her humor.

Rith tipped his head. “And that concerned me. Your friends truly loved you, I could tell very shortly after staying with you in the tower, so they wouldn’t push the issue, whatever it was that was hurting you. You wouldn’t let them, either. I could guess why, but I lacked the facts.”

She looked at him with concern again. “…So when you _did_ find out?”

He nodded. “I knew I would do anything in my power to help. That included convincing you that you weren’t doomed. True convincing, however, is only done by the person in question. Only you could believe that, come to believe it. I could only supply the information.”

Though she was smiling at his devotion, she still shook her head. “But why put so much effort into helping me? I was a total stranger to you, Rith…”

He gently shrugged. “I knew I could… and I wanted to. Your smile was so beautiful when I saw those little hints of it, after all,” he finished with a humorous giggle.

Raven couldn’t resist giggling as well, blushing gently as she held her tea with both hands on the table. “So all of this just to let me smile?”

“In a manner of speaking,” he answered both in good humor and with infinite sincerity.

The girl playfully sunk her shoulders. “I guess that’s as good an answer as I’m going to get.”

Rith reached over, and gently rested his hands over hers. Raven looked at his kind face, and turned her hands over inside his, their palms meeting. She could see how much it affected him, to be welcomed close, it was written all over his face. The pale girl gently wrapped her fingers around his hands, and only then did he do so as well. He always seemed content with her presence, but his appreciation for being allowed closer always flowed out of him like fresh water. In that moment, their hands gently held together on the table-top, Raven just closed her eyes and drank it in. So quiet, so gentle, so kind. So much of what she’d feared she’d never have was right there, holding her hands.

Swallowing carefully, her eyes still closed, Raven whispered, “I love you…” Her blush grew, but she didn’t hesitate.

Rith let the words wash over him. Holding his hands as she was, Raven could feel how powerfully it affected him. It almost emptied him, yet he was brighter and happier than ever. Then he calmed, focusing again, and she heard him whisper back, “I love you, Raven.”

She finally opened her eyes with a soft smile, almost in tears, but so happy. “I know you do…”

He blushed deeply, but his expression and smile remained so endearingly gentle. Treating her hands like precious flowers, he let his thumbs just caress their backs. Raven dipped her head down adorably at the contact.

“Thank you so much…”

She looked up at him with soft surprise. “Why are you thanking me?” There was gentle humor in her question. He always seemed to do this.

“For this time, for spending it with me.”

Her wondrous smile returned. “I’m happy to…”

“All the more reason to thank you for it.”

Sharing a gentle laugh, they finally let their hands apart, and enjoyed the rest of their tea.

* * *

When they were done, they left the café, flying up into the starlit sky, with hardly any clouds blocking the sparkling view. They found a small ridge outside of the city, with soft grass, and just high enough to give a full view of the sky, as if they were still floating in it.

They landed together, and sat down facing back to the city, Rith on Raven’s left as their legs dangled over the edge, Raven sitting on her cloak, Rith placing his staff down on his other side. It was a bit chilly outside, and Raven tried to cover up her legs, but Rith pulled his cloak off, and offered it with a gentle smile. Tipping her head in pleasant silence, she spread it over her legs, and they simply sat there, looking up at the stars.

Raven gently looked at Rith as he sat beside her, the boy smiling warmly, his head tilted down. “…You can’t even see the stars, but you want to sit here and look at them with me?”

“I can tell you appreciate them, and that is a very beautiful thing to sense,” he answered with a faint turn of his head toward her.

Raven reached over, and gripped his closest hand with her own. Their gently clasped hands rested between them as she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder with closed eyes. She could feel him relax, and he softly let his head tilt down, resting it just on her own as they sat together under the stars.

Gaining a mildly amused hint to her smile, Raven spoke softly, “You sure know how to make a girl feel special…”

“You make it easy,” he answered in kind, but was completely sincere as well.

They laughed together in the gentle silence, and then Raven pulled her head up, looking into his eyes. He turned his face to her own, and she knew he was perfectly happy right there, as they were. It was so safe with him, so peaceful. She wanted to thank him for offering such a beautiful experience. She smiled, blushing a bit, and pushed a little closer to his face. His expression softened before he reached to meet her in response. They kissed, their lips gently caressing, like their held hands on the grass between them.

Parting happily, they shared a loving smile, and then Raven rested her head on his shoulder again, and he rested his over her own. She could see the stars, so close to someone with whom she felt at peace, and he could sense her, so close and comfortable, her beauty flowing out of her heart each moment. It was perfect.

_Finé._


End file.
